One Winged Angel
by TheDragonQueen706
Summary: Former wrestler, Karina Dawson thought her urge to wrestle was long gone after joining the aspiring band Celestial; but when AEW's Executive Vice Presidents Cody Rhodes and Kenny Omega approach her about booking the band, her skepticism is replaced by the urge to get in the ring again especially when Kenny starts to encourage it and shows her exactly what AEW is all about.
1. Butterflies

**A/N: Hello everyone, this is my very first AEW story. I've been following them since Double or Nothing PPV, so still pretty new to the company; but everything I've seen so far has been great. This idea has been forming for a little while now, so I decided that it was time to put it out to the world. I hope you all enjoy, R&R.**

**Chapter 1:**

**Butterflies**

**Karina**

Sitting on the edge of an equipment case, I fumbled with my fingers trying to get feeling back into them. Nerves were settling in and you would think that being a former pro-wrestler that those butterflies wouldn't have an effect on me; but they sure as hell still did. This was my first show in front of a large crowd, showcasing my other talents. My voice.

Every now and then I got the itch to step back into the ring; however, those have gotten few are far between anymore. My focus was on my new career and opening up for the band Bad Wolves was a good boost to my confidence.

"Karina, we go on in ten." The sound tech guy announced.

"Thanks." I replied with a wave of my hand.

Jumping down from the case, I walked towards the stage. My long aquamarine colored hair swayed across the middle of my back as I walked. My blue eyes met those of my band mates. Jayson, Nick, Hayley and of course my co-singer Landon. They were stoked to have this opportunity to show the world exactly what we were capable of doing on a larger stage.

The lights dimmed down, Nick and Jayson stepped through the curtain first with their guitar and bass. The first strum against the strings got the crowd alert and waiting. Hayley was next with drum sticks in hand. The spotlight hit her directly and within seconds the trio started to create the music needed to bring life to our opening song.

"What's up, Tampa!" I yelled into the microphone.

Landon tightened his grip on his own microphone before bellowing the words to the first verse in deep grows and screams. It was my turn, we walked passed each other across the large stage. I crept down low, touching the hands of the fans in the front. My voice echoed outward. A smile appeared on my face as I got into my groove.

"Rise above the pain

Rise above the sorrow

Stand firm

Never let go of the light

Rise

Rise!"

I held the last word in a scream that I don't use often, strictly because I know it's terrible on the vocal cords. The fans cheered loudly, which was a good indication that they enjoyed the song and it just got better from there. Every song we did after the first just created more buzz. I watched the people as closely as I could, soaking in the feeling of their admiration.

Sitting the next song out, letting Landon take complete control of the vocal duties I took a long drink from my bottle of water. Looking up at the V.I.P section, I could see people talking and pointing down at us. Squinting my eyes a little, I could see Cody Rhodes and his wife Brandi watching with three other guys I couldn't make out.

It wasn't uncommon for people of their stature to go to shows like this; but AEW's forerunner was like a one in a million shot and yet, here they were. I knew they were quickly rising in the wrestling world. The one company that could give WWE a run for their money and somehow I got a sudden satisfaction out of it considering how I ended my career in wrestling.

Landon signaled for me to come back onto the stage for our last song. I looked back up at them one more time only for another set of eyes to capture mine. I still couldn't make out who he was; but I felt like his gaze was purely out of curiosity.

**Kenny**

"We should try and book them for Fyter Fest." I said with a bit of humor in my voice.

"If they are within the budget, be my guest." Cody replied sitting back down in his chair next to Brandi.

"How are you gonna get backstage?" Nick, the youngest of the two Jackson brothers, asked.

That was a good question. I'm sure Cody could through his weight around a little bit to get us back there. Turning my head, from them I could see aquamarine locks swirling around her head as she got the crowd more enthusiastic about their music. From what I could see up here, she was probably around 5'5 or 5'6 in height. She wore low rise jeans with tears across the thighs and a black tank with angel wings curled around her ribs.

After their final song was over, Cody and I walked out of V.I.P area and made our way backstage. There was security all over the place and of course we were stopped. "Do you have a pass?" One guard asked.

"No; but we are from AEW and were looking to speak with Celestial about a possible booking." Cody explained, holding up his business card.

"Wait here."

Cody nodded and gave my ribs a little nudge with his elbow. Ignoring his gesture, I ran a hand over the top of my head moving my hair back in the process. This was such a spur of the moment decision and I honestly had no idea why I even suggested it; but seeing the way she poured her heart out to the crowd just made me think of all the reasons we created AEW in the first place.

The sound of heels clicking against the tiled floor alerted us. I looked up to meet the gaze of the woman herself. To be honest, I fully expected a manager to greet us not one of the singers.

"I heard you wanted to speak about a possible booking, so my question to you is...why does AEW want to book Celestial?" She said softly.

Now that was surprising, she knew what company we were from. I supposed our names were out there now and what we were trying to create. Her blue eyes searched mine for an answer; but all it did was suck the words right out of my mouth. She was beautiful and not an extreme kind of way. It was a natural beautiful that didn't need any extras. "So you know who we are then?" Cody asked taking control of the situation.

"I'm very familiar with you and your family. You're father helped develop my character in NXT."

"So you were a wrestler? What's your name?" I asked, finally getting my words back.

"I was, yes. My name is Karina Dawson."

Dawson. Dawson. Why did that name sound familiar? Thinking back on every article I've ever read on the WWE and that's when it hit me. She was the woman the company royally screwed over. They released her after coming back from an injury and after spending months revamping her character at the performance center with Cody's father Dusty. "You're the one they fucked over after spending months of wasted time repackaging your character only for them to release you a week later." I said, allowing the solemn nature to take over.

"The one in the same." She replied, tucking a chunk of her hair behind her ear.

"If you ever get the need to get back in the ring, we could give you a try out." Cody offered.

"I'm fine; but you'd be the first to know if I ever decide that. Now, about the booking…"

Cody and I filled her in with what we were looking for when it came to Fyter Fest. As we talked, I could see the light in her eyes get brighter. Her passion for wrestling was coming back, though I doubt she wanted anyone to know that. She leaned back on the wall behind her, placing the heel of her right shoe against the place where the floor meets the wall.

**Karina**

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as they spoke about the event they wanted to book us for. It had been a long time since I got the itch to wrestle again. I could hear everything Cody was saying; but my eyes were locked with the other guy next to him. Knowing exactly who he was made them flutter even more intensely. Kenny Omega was standing right in front of me. He was a wrestling legend in Japan and any aspiring wrestler would know who he was.

Of course, the fact that he was pleasing to the eye just added to my desire to see what this company was all about.

"Alright, you've convinced me. We will play at Fyter Fest." I said with a smile.

"Awesome!" Kenny said pressing both his hands together, gripping them tightly.

I let out a soft giggle at his enthusiasm. It was actually quite adorable. Cody simply rolled his eyes and proceeded to exchange contact information with me. Landon turned the corner and approached me. He was curious as to what was taking me so long. "Got us another booking." I said with excitement.

"Really? Where?" Landon asked, looking to meet the two men from AEW.

"The Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida." I replied handing him the card Cody had given me.

Landon scanned it for a second before he realized just what we were doing and then his excitement vanished. He stared directly at me with a harshness that I hadn't expected. Kenny and Cody remained silent. They simply watched as Landon just walked away without another word. I excused myself from their company and followed after him. "Wait!" I called after.

"What the hell was that about?" He snapped.

"I got us another gig. I didn't see the harm." I replied taken aback by his tone of voice.

"With a wrestling company! We all know your history, Karina! We just got our feet off the ground and now you want to go back to your old life."

"That's not what I'm doing! Why would it matter if I wrestled again anyway?"

"I'm not even going to answer that…"

Landon continued on towards the dressing room we shared. I was left alone in the hallway, holding the AEW business card. Brushing my thumb across the plastic coating, my eyes closed forcing myself to stay calm. Everything would work exactly how it was meant to and I had to believe that or I'd go crazy otherwise.

Slowly making my way to the dressing room, the tension was thick and everyone could tell that there was something wrong. "What is going on?" Hayley asked pulling her chestnut brown hair up into a ponytail.

"Miss former wrestler booked us at a AEW PPV, which if you guys didn't know, is a wrestling company." Landon announced, stuffing his clothes into his bag.

"They are probably going to pay us pretty nicely, what's the issue Lan?" Jayson asked, buttoning up his shirt.

"Don't you see what's going on? If Karina gets a taste for wrestling again, she will leave us hanging just when we finally got our feet off the ground."

I clenched my hands at my sides into tight fists. If there was one thing I hated, it was people assuming things about me without actual facts. Jayson, Nick and Hayley looked at me. They were looking for some kind of confirmation, and I just couldn't guarantee that I wouldn't want to wrestle again after seeing this company for myself.

"Even if I did decide to wrestle again, music is important to me too. I'm not saying that I will go back to my old life; but if I did, I could do both."

Landon let his arms fly up in the air as if that was a confirmation of my departure. Jayson placed a hand on his shoulder and all he did was shrug it off. He stormed off, leaving us high and dry. "I'm sorry, I was just trying to get us more attention." I apologized.

"Don't worry about it. We will follow you with or without Landon." Nick stated, pulling me into a tight hug.

"Thank you."


	2. In The Blood

**A/N: I'd like to thank TheLeftHandedWriter and peace486 for becoming followers. Onward to chapter two. This story will be expressing mental health awareness in a lot of different ways. For someone who suffers from a form of it, I wanted to express it in a positive way. So don't get discouraged with her character, she will change along the way. I hope you all enjoy it. :)**

**Chapter 2:**

**In The Blood**

**Karina**

Landon left without a word, to the point that we had to cancel our appearance the next night. He spoke to no one and I felt like it was my fault. Running hands through my tangled hair, I felt like screaming and not in a musical way. Everything was going smoothly and I wanted to blame Cody for approaching me; but that wouldn't be fair and it really wasn't his fault at all. They were trying to put on the best show possible.

Sitting down on the chase side of my slate gray sectional, I laid back, staring at the ceiling. There had to be a way to make Landon understand my side of things. Maybe he had his reasons for doubting my intentions, though I had no idea what those would be. My phone chimed with an incoming message. My hand reached across the couch for the device. Jayson. Of course, he would be the one to check in on me.

"He finally has broken his silence." The message said.

"What did he say?" I quickly typed back and let the phone drop to my stomach.

Somehow I felt like I knew what the answer would be. Like most things, they usually fell apart because of my choices. I may have a good voice; but my people skills were horrible and everything I did seemed wrong. My attitude rubbed people the wrong way while I was a part of the WWE and I genuinely tried to succeed; of course, everyone knows how that turned out.

Waiting was killer and my mind wandered back to Fyter Fest. Never thought I'd meet Cody Rhodes let alone Kenny Omega. His blue eyes were tranquil, calming and somehow just the mere thought of them and I was calm again, then the message came in.

"He said that he couldn't compete with your love for wrestling. He feels like cutting ties with us is the best course of action at this point."

"Okay…"

"Are you alright? Do you want me to come over?"

"No, I just want to be alone. Thanks though."

Turning my phone completely off, I rolled to my side. Once again, my choices made things fall apart around me. Curling my legs up closer, burning tears trickled down the side of my face. My chest felt heavy while angry sobs erupted from deep within me. It felt like hours had passed by but in reality it was only twenty minutes and there a loud knocking on my front door.

Wiping the tears away, I groaned to stand up on my feet. Peeking out the small hole on the door, I could see Jayson's dark hair with frosted tips. That man could never take no for an answer. Opening the door, he could see that I had been crying. Pulling me into an embrace that just brought back memories of my own brother, I held on tight.

"I know better than to think that you being alone is a good idea, especially how things played out the other day." He said softly.

"I just don't understand. I never once said that I wanted to wrestle again. He just assumed that was the case."

He let go of me and followed me back inside. Sitting back down on the couch, he sat down next on the other side. It got me thinking just how lucky Hayley was to have him in her life. I've known both of them pretty much my whole life, growing up on the side side of Jacksonville, Florida. The two of them becoming a couple was inevitable. I could see it coming a mile away, unfortunately for me my love life has been less than stellar.

I honestly felt like I was broken on the inside to the point that no one could ever fix me. Jayson snapped his fingers, grabbing my attention once more. "Sorry, my mind is elsewhere." I apologized.

"I got my acoustic in the car, do you want to sing a little?" He asked, doing his best to get my mind off the events.

"I do need to practice for Fyter Fest. I'm not backing out of that."

"Didn't expect you too."

He smiled, flashing his perfect grin. It didn't take him long to return with his most prized possession. The acoustic guitar was a gift from his mother before she passed away from cancer a year or so ago. The sight of it made me smile. She really was an incredible woman and beyond supportive of her son's desire to create music.

The sound of the first strum across the strings caused a hum to vibrate in my throat and before long I was singing words that had never been expressed before. It was words that I had been working on privately for a couple weeks or so. Jayson just went along with it, not stopping the beat he was creating.

**Kenny**

Fyter Fest had arrived quicker than I had expected. There was so much to do and so little time to do it in. Being the executive vice president of a company, I was expected of certain things. The budget being one of them. Booking Celestial was kind of a spur of the moment decision that might just break the budget a little.

Workers were busy finishing with tweaking the lighting with Cody directing traffic a little here and there. He was there to make sure everything was done correctly, honestly didn't blame him there. The ring was already drawing a crows. Nick and Matt were sitting on the edge talking with some of the crew members.

I walked down the already set up stage, making my way down to the ring to warm up a little before the show went on the air. In just a pair of gray gym shorts and a white tank top, I started to run the ropes. It was a routine I always did to get my body accustomed to the friction against the skin.

It didn't take long for Matt and Nick to join me. Jokes were tossed in there to make it more amusing; but out of the corner of my eyes I could see a woman step out onto the stage. I recognized her immediately. Karina Dawson. Her long bright aquamarine hair was curled in large waves down her back.

"Hold up." I said, standing straight up and walked to lean against the ropes.

"I'm a little early, sorry." She apologized.

"Don't worry about it. You can come down here and chill out of ya want to."

She gave a slight smile and proceeded to walk carefully down to the ringside area. I got a better look at her. She was wearing tight black jeans that were probably of the jegging type material and a white flowing top with silver vines cascading over the front. Surprisingly enough, she was just in normal sneakers.

"Who's the girl?" Nick asked coming over to where I was standing.

I rolled my eyes at his negligence, or just plain forgetfulness. Matt lightly smacked the back of his head. "That's singer from the opening band we saw a couple weeks ago." He explained. Nick remembered immediately and apologized instantly.

"My name is Karina, it's nice to meet you. I've heard of the legendary tag team The Young Bucks so many times over the years."

"You think we're legendary?" Matt asked.

"You were in quite a few places, were you not?"

"I like her." Nick announced point blank.

I slouched further over the ropes, hiding my amusement from Karina. She smiled. It was genuine and for some reason, once again, I had a spur of the moment idea. "Would you like to run the ropes? You know wrestling never leaves the blood." I had no idea why that idea even came to my mind. I didn't know her by any means; but I did know her history, at least in wrestling anyway.

"I...it's been like three years...I just don't…"

My foot pushed down the bottom rope and I lifted the middle one open wider, she instantly stopped talking. Her eyes connected with mine for a moment. Nick and Matt took steps back when they saw her cautiously climb onto the apron. To be honest, I didn't expect her to accept the invitation.

She entered the ring and stood before me, close enough that I could have touched her face had I desired to. Apparently my actions was drawing attention from other people that were working around the building. Cody had zoomed in and sat down to watch carefully, probably wondering just what the hell I was doing.

"If I hurt myself, this will be your fault." She said, taking a step to the right.

"Okay, I'll take full responsibility." I replied, taking a step in the same direction until we were circling each other.

Karina shifted her feet to run exactly how I expected her to. The moment the ropes connected with her side, she winced a little; but shrugged it off and continued forward. The second rope connected and a slight grin had formed on her face. By the time she had connected with the fourth rope a full blown smile had curved her lips. "You didn't hurt yourself." I commented.

**Karina**

The stinging on my skin hurt; but I wasn't about to let him know that. He was right in the fact that I hadn't hurt myself while running the ropes. It was also odd that I actually found enjoyment in it. Maybe I missed wrestling more than I thought. Maybe I just needed to be shown it again.

"No, I didn't." I answered.

Turning to look back at the stage. Jayson, Hayley and Nick were all pushing in their equipment cases to where crew members of the show told them too. Jayson smiled and urged me to continue what I was doing. He assured me that they didn't need my help with anything and I trusted him.

Returning to look back at Kenny, he had a grin on his face that immediately got my heart pumping faster. What was it with him that just got me doing unusual things? I've seen him twice and this wasn't like me at all.

"Wanna try a lock-up?" He asked, pressing the palms of his hands against the fabric of his shorts.

"Are you being serious right now?" I asked, completely dumbfounded.

He outstretched his arms, silently challenging me. I had no idea why I continued to let him coax me into doing these wrestling things; but here I was about to lock-up with him. It was something I hadn't done in almost three years. Lifting my arms up slightly, narrowing my eyes to concentrate on the maneuver.

His hands locked in as mine locked in. We separated and he started to circle me once again. Running a hand through his tousled hair, I moved to the lock-up position again. He chuckled, obviously amused by my eagerness now.

"I told you that wrestling never leaves the blood and it seems that you still have a knack for it." He complimented.

"Thank you…"

Cody stood up and clapped a couple times. I relaxed once again and realized that I needed to get out of the ring before he coaxed me into something else. "My offer still stands, Karina." He said, reminding me of his offer to give me a tryout if I ever decided to wrestle again. Words left me and all I could do was back away.

My chest felt heavy again, panic settled in and it confused me. Everything had been going so good before he had approached me. Landon had quit the band because of my decision to perform here.

Stumbling to get out of the ring, I clenched at my chest and crumbling to my knees panic stricken. This was not the time to be having an attack; but of course, my body did what it wanted and my mind remained hazy. I felt hands on my shoulders and heard a voice, asking me if I was okay.

I wanted to answer; but nothing came out. Kenny called for my bandmates and medical. I could hear Jayson calling off medical, knowing exactly what was wrong with me. He placed his hands on my face, forcing me to look at him directly in the eyes. "Karina, listen to me. Take a deep breath." He said softly.

"What's going on?" Kenny asked with concern laced in his voice.

"She's having a panic attack. She'll be fine in a few minutes."

Closing my eyes, I breathed through my mouth deeply and let it out slowly. My chest was starting to get lighter and my eyes opened to meet those of Jayson and Kenny. Surprisingly, Jayson allowed Kenny to help me to my feet. He was usually super protective of me and didn't trust anyone when it came to me.

He was genuinely concerned for me and that was enough to end the attack entirely. Having these emotional problems were a curse and not many people understood them. It usually scared people away. That didn't seem to be the case with Kenny or Cody for that matter. He was still there, also with a concerned look upon his face.

"I'll be fine." I said, creating space from them.

"You don't have to perform if you aren't able to. It's perfectly okay." Kenny said softly.

"Don't worry. The show will go on." I said with a smile and walked with Jayson back up to the stage.


	3. An Old Familiar Face

**A/N: I want to give a big thanks to Desertor Link, CamesiQuill24452 and ian87 for becoming followers. Another big thanks to Guest, peace486 and Leasha Ambrose for the wonderful reviews. Onto chapter three, hope you all enjoy.**

**** The lyrics in this are property of Linkin Park, R.I.P Chester Bennington****

**Chapter 3:**

**An Old Familiar Face**

**Karina**

I sat in an empty locker-room with my head in my hands. Having an out of the blue panic attack was not something I had expected. Jayson and Hayley were ever watchful of me, knowing my history of these awful occurrences. My skin prickled with goosebumps as a cold chill caressed me. "Are you alright?" Hayley asked coming into the room, kneeling down before me.

"Yeah...just wish I wouldn't have embarrassed myself out there." I answered honestly, because that is exactly how I was feeling at present. Embarrassed.

"Hunnie, you had a panic attack. There is nothing embarrassing about that. Those two wrestler guys looked genuinely concerned about you."

Pulling my hands away from my face, I finally looked down at her. She probably could see that the whites of my eyes were now bloodshot from all the crying I had done in silence since Jayson brought me back here. She pulled me down to kneel with her. Her arms were tightly placed around me. "I love you. You are the sister I never had. Jayson and I wouldn't know what to do without you."

"I love you guys too." I answered.

A soft knocking alerted us to someone outside the room. She helped me back to my feet and she moved across the room to answer the door. Jayson stood there with a smile on his face. She stepped aside to allow him entry. I looked at him and tried my best to give him a smile; but there was something bothering me about today already.

The urge to wrestle again had crawled its way into my heart when I thought for sure that it never would again. I wondered if I should tell them about it or just keep it to myself for the time being.

"Are you ready to do this? From what I understand, we are going on as an innermission type thing." He explained.

"So do we know what songs we are doing yet?' Hayley asked.

"We only have time for two, so we have to make them count."

Thinking about it, we really didn't have too many songs that didn't have Landon's growls. We basically had to start all over now that he wasn't a part of the band. I supposed that we could do the one song that only used my voice. The song I wrote for my brother after he was killed in a car crash five years ago.

"I'm going to do a song I haven't done in a long time." I finally said, breaking the silence.

"Are you sure?" Hayley asked, obviously skeptical of my decision.

I nodded my head without saying a word. Walking passed them to step outside the room, there were people walking in all directions. The show was minutes away from going on the air and the change in atmosphere was definite. I could remember when NXT shows were like this and then I moved to the main roster. Everything was different there and not always in a good way.

I was by no means bashing the company who gave a change on a girl from Jacksonville, Florida who had nothing but passion for the industry. They just weren't bringing the buzz they once had and somehow I felt like it was the higher ups fault for letting things fall so deep. People gave their all and the company gave nothing back.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Kenny Omega talking with Cody about something. Then I saw Matt and Nick Jackson join in. The Elite. It brought a smile to my face to think about the family history Cody was a part of. His father was one hell of a wrestler in his day and an even better person. I could remember every single conversation I had with the man.

Those conversations made me who I am today. I aspired to change my ways in hopes that he would be proud someday and suddenly that was taken away. I never got a chance to ask if he had been proud.

"_Karina, don't let life leave you discouraged." Dusty said, sitting down beside me on one of the benches outside of the performance center ring. _

"_I am doing my best...it's just hard when everyone looks down on me. Pushing me back, wanting me to just give up."_

"_That should make the fire burn brighter. Use it as fuel to ignite your passion. You have to want this with all your heart."_

_I turned my head to fully look at him. He wasn't wrong at all. When people spoke ill of me, it just fueled me, made me want to do that much better. I wanted to show the world that I could do this, maybe having someone like Dusty to cheer me on was just what I needed to succeed in this company. "You're right. Thank you."_

_Getting off the bench, I rolled back into the ring and returned to my training. He smiled and that was all I needed._

Those words stuck with me for years to come and it had been a long time since I made myself hear them again. A smile tugged at my lips as I walked down the hall of the Ocean Center, humming as I went along.

There was a familiar face at the end of the long hallway. Former WWE star Dean Ambrose, now known as Jon Moxley. We've crossed paths on a number of occasions; but nothing that would warrant us as close friends.

"Karina Dawson, there is a face I haven't seen in a long time." He said, approaching me.

"Likewise. I heard you left WWE. I guess going to AEW was a blessing for you."

"You could say that."

He raised a questioning eyebrow at me. He was probably wondering what I was doing there since he knew that I no longer wrestled. There was a lot of controversy when it came to my termination, Jon was actually one of the ones who voiced his dislike of the decision. Though, it didn't give him any favors backstage by some of the higher ups.

Tucking hair behind my ear, I smoothed the front of my top with my hand. The stinging on my side alerted me to my prior activities with Kenny in the ring. I sucked in a startled hiss simply because I had forgotten about the brush burn like injuries to my sides. "Not used to ring anymore, I take it." He said.

"How did…"

"I was watching from the top of the arena."

"Yeah, not one of my finest decisions."

He chuckled. I had no idea what he was laughing about; but it brought a new light to our tiny conversation. We were two former WWE employees that hadn't had the greatest time in the company and now we were trying to make the most of what was now given to us. Maybe there was a reason AEW had approached me and it wasn't just to book my band. "You looked happy in that ring. Maybe you should consider asking your new found friend Kenny Omega to join AEW."

"Careful Jon, you sound a little jealous." I countered, finally feeling comfortable inside my own skin so to speak.

"Don't you know, I'm married now." He said, lifting his left hand up to show off his wedding band.

I outright laughed. He really thought I was serious. "Don't you know, I was only kidding. Look, I know that you tried to stick up for me after I was fired. I never got a chance to thank you for that, so thank you."

"You're welcome. So what are you doing here anyway?"

"I performing with my band Celestial."

"Ah right, I forgot that you sang too."

It was kind of nice to catch up with him; but there was a nagging insecurity in the pit of my stomach. My anxiety had only gotten worse after I got fired, which was to be expected; but nothing seemed to make it happen less often. I wrote songs to get the emotions off my chest. At the same time, those emotions lay heavy on my heart.

The sound of a phone ringing brought me back to reality. Jon pulled his phone out of his pocket, "It's my wife, it was good seeing you." He said, then answered the phone as he walked away.

**Kenny**

Finishing up with dyeing my hair red for the final touch on my ring attire for the evening. Always being an avid video game player, I wanted to incorporate some of it into something fun for tonight. Matt, Nick and myself were teaming to take on The Lucha Brothers and Laredo Kid. The match was going to be awesome no matter the outcome. Every single one of those guys were incredible performers.

The sound of my locker-room door opening, alerted to someone coming in. Cody walked in without Brandi, which was a little odd for him. She went everywhere with him, which only meant that this was personal or business related.

"What's up?" I asked, taking one final look in the mirror at my now red hair.

"So what was up with that out in the ring earlier?" He asked, placing hands into the pockets of his pants.

"Honestly, I have no idea. She was there and I figured why the hell not."

Cody laughed at my answer, not an hysterical laugh; but a laugh nonetheless. He really shouldn't be surprised by the things I do. There had to be a reason he was really asking about why I did that. Running my hands over my ring pants, to smooth the kinks out. "I think there is more to it than that, am I wrong?"

He was putting me on the spot. What I did with Karina was completely out of character for me and he knew it. I'm actually not surprised that he had noticed, considering that he was sitting out there when it all went down. "I didn't agree with how her career ended. Thought maybe she's want to wrestle again and I gave her the opportunity. You saw it as well as I did, she was enjoying herself."

"Okay...but you don't even know her. You've seen her twice."

"That I can't really answer, because I don't really know myself."

"Fair enough. Hopefully she will accept my offer and you'll really get a chance to know her."

His statement came as a complete surprise. The words came out of my mouth to deny my intentions. He knew better and simply nodded his head with a chuckle. I shrugged my shoulders, realizing that it didn't matter. She would be leaving after the show was over with the odds of never seeing her again hanging over me.

Following Cody out of my locker-room, I spotted Karina sitting on the edge of an equipment case. Her bandmate Jayson was playing an acoustic guitar and her voice echoed down the hallway. I blinked a couple times. Her voice was beautiful and something I would really like to hear more of.

"I don't know what you're expecting of me

Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes

Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow

Every step that I take is another mistake to you

Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow."

Her hand tapped against her thigh gently, expressing every emotion she could into those very well known words. I think most everyone knew who Linkin Park was. It also didn't surprise me that she would honor them by doing a cover of the song. It was a shame the man's life ended the way it did.

"I've become so numb, I can't feel you there

Become so tired, so much more aware

By becoming this, all I want to do

Is be more like me and less like you."

Jayson stopped playing and looked directly at Cody and I. He placed a hand on Karina's shoulder, nudging her to look at us as well. Our eyes connected for a brief moment. "I'm going to turn up my guitar for the show, I'll meet you out there." He said, taking his leave.

"That was awesome." Cody complimented.

"Thank you. I've been working on that for quite a while." She replied jumping down from the equipment case she had been sitting upon.

"Brandi would have really liked it too."

"Again, thank you. I appreciate it."

Cody held out his hand to shake hers. The professional in him was coming out. His smile was genuine though. He didn't mention the offer again, realizing that he had already said it today to her. We couldn't push the issue, she had to want to wrestle again.

Karina accepted his handshake. He turned to walk away, leaving us alone. When I saw him next, I was going to smack him. I guarantee he was laughing to himself as he was walking away.

"So I want to thank you." She said suddenly.

"What for?" I asked curiously.

"Getting me in the ring. I had forgotten just how much I enjoyed it."

"You're welcome. Sometimes you just need something to remind you of that."

"Or someone…"

Her comment shocked me. Her smile was something else that was beautiful about her. Meeting her couldn't have been just a one time thing, right? She reached to give my arm a gentle squeeze before following after Jayson.

Oh man, she was so intriguing and there was only a few more hours left in the day. She would be gone by tomorrow. Somehow that thought troubled me and I couldn't understand why that was. None of it made sense to me.


	4. Hesitant Goodbye

**A/N: A big thanks goes to Leasha Ambrose and xXxShonxXx for the wonderful reviews. Another big thanks goes to xXxShonxXx and luighseach for becoming followers. Onto number four, as always I hope you all enjoy.**

**Chapter 4:**

**Hesitant Goodbye**

**Karina**

The time had come. Fyter Fest had begun and I sat on the edge of my seat. Cody had placed us up front near the stage. He wanted me to see the action up close. To be honest, I felt like it was a ploy to get me back in the ring. Little did he know, the urge was growing more intensely ever since Kenny had me in the ring earlier running the ropes.

Jayson, Hayley and Nick talked amongst themselves, probably wondering what my mindset was. They all knew my history, apparently everyone did. "Are you alright?" Jayson asked leaning his chin down on my shoulder.

"I'm fine. I really didn't expect how different this would be from WWE." I answered, running a hand through my hair.

"You like it, don't you?" He countered with another question.

I couldn't answer. The words were there; but I felt like I was betraying them by acknowledging the obvious. Yes, I enjoyed watching this. I wanted it again. Deep down, I knew that eventually the urge would get to be too much to resist.

He didn't push me any further for an answer, which was a good thing. I didn't want to talk about it just yet. I wasn't ready. The thought that Landon might just have been right all along stung.

The longer I watched, the most the struggle within grew. It wasn't until I saw the women step inside the squared circle did I feel the heart pounding adrenaline surge through my veins. A smile tugged at my lips. This has been the happiest I've felt since Landon left the band a couple weeks ago.

"Oh you definitely like this." Jayson commented again.

**Kenny**

"You blew the budget!" Cody said in a surprised tone of voice.

"How?" I asked, concerned now.

"The rushed ring gear cost a bunch of money. We can't really let Karina perform tonight. There just isn't money to pay them at the moment. I'll cut down on some of the other things, you break the news to her."

With that said Cody left. A guilty conscious took over for a few minutes. I really hadn't been thinking when I told Matt and Nick that I would take care of the lost ring gear issue. Because what really came of it was me spending far too much money on the assets. I really wanted Karina to sing; but it looks like that won't be happening.

Letting out a sigh, I walked towards the stage area and came out quietly on the floor part near the fans. She was standing right up front, right where Cody had placed her. She turned to capture my gaze. I waved my hand to call her to me.

She placed a hand on Jayson's shoulder and weaved through the crowd to get to my location. I stepped back through the door to the backstage area, she followed closely behind me. How was I going to tell her that she could no longer perform?

Her cerulean eyes were locked onto me, waiting for whatever it was to come out. She fumbled with her hands in front of her. I assumed that was a nervous habit of hers and if I was honest, it was quite adorable.

"What's up?" She finally asked.

"So...uh...the budget is blown for tonight and I got to cut some things out of the show."

"It okay...I get it. To be honest, I didn't know if could sing properly tonight anyway. I've got a lot on my mind."

She tried to force a smile for my sake; but I knew that she was disappointed. Hell, I was disappointed. Her voice was addicting and I wanted to hear it again; however, this would be the last time I'd see her unless she took Cody's offer. So hearing her sing again was out of the question. "I'm sorry." I apologized.

"Don't be. It's perfectly okay, I got to see this personally. I'm thrilled to know that wrestling isn't dead and gone."

"Far from it."

Karina smiled without it being forced. She turned her head slightly, shying away from my gaze. The skin on her cheeks were slightly tinted pink. A smile curved my own lips at her blush. I really hoped that this wouldn't be the last time I saw her. "You can stay and watch the rest of the show if you want to." I offered.

"Thank you. I do want to thank you again, for earlier."

"No need to thank me for that. Wrestling never leaves the blood and I'm confident that you will find your way to the ring again."

"Perhaps."

She took a couple steps back and turned around to walk back out to the crowd.

**Karina**

When I made it back to my seat, Jayson already had a concerned look on his face. It was like he already knew what I was going to say before even saying it. Hayley locked her fingers through his tightly and Nick just stood with an emotionless expression on his face. How was I going to tell them that we were going to perform tonight?

"So...uh...we can't perform tonight." I said, my words trailing off.

"I figured as much." Jayson said, pulling Hayley closer to him.

"The budget was blown for tonight. We were an added expense that they just couldn't afford right now."

"Figures..." Nick said harshly.

I turned to look at him immediately. His expression was that of irritation. I hadn't known him that long; but Jayson claimed that he was one of the best bassists he had ever met before. I could tell that he wasn't very appreciative of the cut from the show. I also knew that him and Jayson were pretty close, so it really surprised me that he was this upset. I remember when Landon left how supportive he was off me.

"I don't know how you deal with this Jay." He said, staring a hole right through me.

"Deal with what exactly?" Jayson asked, letting go of Hayley to get defensive.

Hayley pulled at Jayson, trying to get them to the backstage area before anything exploded in the crowd. I followed closely behind, knowing exactly where this was going to go. I've already dealt with one person walking out, why not a second. "Her! She's been nothing but problems since I got here." Nick answered, pointing a finger right at me.

Jayson's anger was getting the better of him and moved to shove Nick; but I stepped in front of him, placing my hands on his chest. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him grin as if I had protected him. "He's not worth the trouble you'd get in if you beat the hell out of him. What he said isn't entirely wrong." I admitted.

"Kay, don't think that. You are not a problem." Hayley said, doing her best to make me feel better about the situation.

"It's okay. Somehow, I knew that all of this was too good to be true. Nothing has ever truly been mine."

Behind me, I could hear the crowd cheer loudly as The Young Bucks started to enter on the stage, it wouldn't take long before Kenny Omega would joy them. I overheard them talking about the entrance they wanted to do earlier on in the day. The want to see him wrestle was masked by all my self-doubt in my current situation.

"You saw it earlier, she collapsed for no reason. She's not healthy enough to do this."

"How dare you poke at her mental health issues! There is nothing wrong with her!" Hayley yelled getting closer to Nick's face.

"I'm not poking at anything. I'm just stating the facts. She isn't in the right frame of mind to deal with the grueling schedule of a tour."

He wasn't entirely wrong. I had collapsed when my emotions got to be too much for me to handle at the time. I heard Kenny's entrance music start to play and it created goosebumps across my skin. It was hard to concentrate on what was happening in front of me and on my need to see Kenny wrestle up close.

The sound of a crack echoed down the hallway. Hayley had just slapped Nick across the face. His head had been turned to the side. Jayson pulled his girlfriend back behind him, shielding him from the pending backlash.

"Good luck with everything, Jay. I quit."

Swallowing the lump in my throat, the guilt swelled inside my chest. The burning tears were in the corners of my eyes. This was not how I wanted things to play out. This was supposed to be a fresh start for us without Landon and here it had become a nightmare with me as the pawn.

Nick stormed off towards the locker-room we shared. I knew he would be gathering up his things and taking the next flight out of the city. Looking back towards Hayley and Jayson, the tears finally started to trickle down my face.

"Kay, I'm sorry." Hayley apologized, pulling me into her arms.

I couldn't hold it back any longer. Harsh sobs erupted from my body, shaking me to the core. Everything was falling apart right in front of me and there was no one to blame but myself. Jayson wrapped his arms around both of us, trying his best to comfort me without knowing what to say.

**Kenny**

Nick, Matt and I walked backstage. I wondered where Karina had gone, because I hadn't seen her in the crowd during my match. The sight of Jayson standing outside the locker-room alerted me. There were bags sitting next to him as he was busy typing something on his phone. His girlfriend joined him seconds later, pulling another bag behind her.

"I'll join you guys in a few." I said, wiping a towel across my face.

"Sure." Matt replied, seeing for himself why I wasn't joining them just yet.

I approached Jayson, resting the towel across my shoulders. He met my gaze with skepticism. It made me wonder what had happened when I was out there putting on a show for the fans. "Didn't see any of you out there, did something happen?" I asked cautiously.

"You could say that. We are getting ready to leave, so if you want to say goodbye now is your chance." He answered.

There were no other words exchanged. Hayley simply pushed him out of the way and opened the door to the locker-room for me to enter. It was weird for me to be doing this. I had only met her a couple weeks ago and here I was saying goodbye formally to someone I barely knew.

Her back was to me. Aquamarine waves cascaded down her back, bringing the porcelain tone of her skin to light even more. She was beautiful in more ways than one and I honestly had no idea what to say.

"Heard you were leavin'." I stated, trying to jog a last conversation with her.

Startled, she turned around to see me. Her hand rested on her chest. "You scared me." She said softly, tucking a chunk of her hair behind her ear before zipping her bag up completely. There was a sadness behind her eyes. The whites were tinted red like she had been crying moments before my arrival.

"I'm sorry."

"It was a mistake coming here. I guess nothing good is ever meant to happen to me."

"I wouldn't say that. You have a beautiful voice and from what I remember seeing, you were talented in the ring too."

She curled her bottom lip inward, holding back whatever was on her mind or holding back tears that made her eyes look glassy. I took a few steps closer to her, refraining from reaching to touch her. "I appreciate everything you and Cody have done up to this point. You made me realize how much I missed wrestling. It's just not the right time for that yet. I need to sort out my personal issues before I commit to anything."

"I understand that. The door is open for you if you want a chance."

"Thank you."

Karina took hold of her bag and started her short walk towards me. She stopped inches away, locking her eyes with mine. She leaned up to place her lips against my cheek, lingering a little longer than I expected. "Good luck, Kenny." She said, then slipped out around me. She disappeared out the door before I could form a single word.

It was not the goodbye I had expected; but there was nothing else I could do or say to change the events that played out. There was something bothering her and perhaps it was her anxiety that prevented her from telling me what exactly happened; however, I still had hope that she would step inside an AEW ring.


	5. In Need of a Decision

**A/N: A special thanks goes to MamaChele81 for becoming a follower and leaving a wonderful review. I apologize for not posting last weekend. To make up for that, I'm posting not one but two chapters this time around. I hope you enjoy, happy reading.**

**Chapter 5:**

**In Need of a Decision**

**Karina**

It's been a week since Celestial crumbled right before my eyes. It's been a week since I said goodbye to someone who brought a smile to my face. It's been a week since my life had taken a turn for the void I hated being in. Jayson and Hayley tried their hardest to keep my spirits up; but it just wasn't enough. I wanted to express myself in music and that was taken away from me.

I stood in the basement level of my house. It's where all my recording equipment sat just waiting to be used again. Looking around at everything, tears started to burn the corners of my eyes. All I could do was scream out of frustration and collapse to the floor.

"Karina!" A familiar voice shouted my name.

Footsteps were heard across the floor above me until the basement door creaked open. Louder footsteps cascaded down the wooden stairs until my mother came into view. Her brown eyes immediately came immediately captured mine. Her long auburn hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. Most people thought she was my sister, because she was still so young. Having a child at sixteen probably wasn't the most ideal way to spend the last remaining teenage years.

We made the most of it and though my father never wanted anything to do with me, I was still a happy child growing up. It was because I had her and when she finally married my step-dad, my life had become complete.

Without speaking a single word, she crossed the last remaining distance between us and wrapped her arms around me. I felt almost like a helpless child being comforted by their mother. It was hard for me not to completely break down in front of her. "You really shouldn't be spending so much time alone." She said as a matter of factly.

"I'm fine." I said, pulling out of her arms and got back to my feet.

"Jayson and Hayley don't seem to think so. They told me what happened and it's perfectly okay to feel hurt by the events."

"I know...it just sucks. I've done all I could to make sure we succeeded and we were so close and then it all fell apart. All because I made one decision…"

She took my hands into her own, moving her thumb across my knuckles. "So what, they weren't meant to be a part of your music. Everything happens for a reason, so maybe them leaving was a part of the plan. I'm not going to tell you what to do; but I think dwelling on things you can't control is not the best course of action here. From what I understand, this new wrestling company could use a talented young lady like yourself to get their division off the ground."

"You want me to wrestle again?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

That was such an odd thing to say to me, considering any fight we've ever had was because of wrestling in the past. Though, perhaps it was just because of the company I had been involved with.

My mother smiled, a warm gentle smile that just made me forget that I had been upset in the first place. "You just do what your heart tells you to do and I will support you no matter what." She said, placing a hand on my cheek before walking back up the stairs.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes for a moment. For whatever reason, Kenny's face came to mind. His smile and wild hair, along with those beautiful blue eyes. It got me thinking that maybe Cody and his appearance was anything but a coincidence. My mind rewound that moment he had gotten me in the ring to run the ropes.

The skin on my sides tingled, reminding me of just how much fun I had doing those small things in the ring with him. If it hadn't been for all the confusion, that panic attack most likely wouldn't have happened at all and Nick wouldn't have up and quit the band.

Running up the stairs, I moved around the kitchen island. My mother quickly stepped aside, noticing that I was in a hurry to get to my destination. I ran up the stairs to get to my bedroom. Pulling open the drawer of my nightstand, the business card Cody had given me that night we first met was sitting there.

My fingers curled around the small item and I picked it up to look closer at it. There was a number printed on the front. Should I call it and attempt a return to the ring? I questioned it so many times before I inevitably set it back down in the drawer, closing it slowly. I honestly had no idea what to do.

**Kenny**

Nick was behind the wheel of the car, while Matt sat in the passenger seat. I looked out the window from the backseat, waiting to get to where we were going next. Fyter Fest had been a success and now I had to concentrate on Jon Moxley at All Out; but before that, there was Fight For The Fallen. This was a charity event of sorts where a large donation would go to the victims of gun violence. It would take place in Jacksonville, Florida. Thinking about the venue got me thinking about Karina. She was from there and finally understanding what had taken place during my match backstage only made her quick departure much more sense.

"Dude, you are super quiet. What's up?: Matt asked, slightly turning in his seat to look back at me.

"Nothing." I answered, which wasn't entirely a lie; but it really wasn't the truth either.

"Ah, I think I know what's up." Nick said, getting his brother to look back up front for the follow up to his statement.

This was probably an assumption on his part. I don't think I've mentioned Karina to them since Fyter Fest, so it really wouldn't give them any idea that it was indeed her that was on my mind. No other woman has ever brought this much intrigue out in me. I've stayed away from relationships for this very reason. I wanted to be totally committed to my wrestling and I felt that a relationship would be an added stress that was unnecessary.

"He's thinking about that girl." Nick finished his comment.

"Maybe...what's her name again? Katie...Kathrine...Kathy…" Matt teased.

"It's Karina." I corrected, knowing that I was already busted.

"Karina, right!"

I should have known better than to think that they wouldn't know what was going on with me. They were around me all the time. We traveled together, ate together most nights and hung out whenever we could. It was just how the business worked. You bonded with certain people to make the loneliness obsolete. We've done so much together and now there was Cody added into the mix.

"On a serious note, do you think she will take up Cody's offer?" Matt asked.

"I don't know. She may…"

Seeing the 'Welcome To Jacksonville' sign brought my focus back to Fight For The Fallen. Karina still lingered in my thoughts unexpectedly. This was going to be a long day if things didn't get back in order inside my head.

**Karina**

Jayson and Hayley didn't wait long to come visit me. My mom did her best to cheer me up and put things in a different perspective. Maybe things did happen for a reason and perhaps it was time to make a decision.

"So there is karaoke tonight at the Myth tonight." Jayson suggested.

"Is that your subtle way of trying to get me out of the house?" I asked with a coy smile.

He chuckled, knowing that he had been caught. Nothing really ever got passed me, he was too transparent with his thoughts. Myth Nightclub was a place I was pretty familiar with, considering that's where my start in the music industry started. I'm sure the owner would be thrilled to see us there again.

Hayley sat down next to me on the sofa and took my hands into her own. There was a seriousness on her face that alerted me that something else was going on, other than the usual get together.

"So Jay and I were talking and we think it might be best if we just put our music on hold for a little while. Too much has happened in the last couple of weeks that were completely unforeseen." She explained.

"You don't think we will be able to find replacements for Nick and Landon?" I asked curiously.

Jayson walked around the island in the kitchen to make it into the living room where we were sitting. There was a softness behind his eyes and something else he just wasn't saying. "It's not that at all. We just feel that it's what's best for you at this moment. Hayley and I both saw how happy you were in the ring that day."

"You've been talking to my mom, haven't you?" I countered with another question.

"We only told her what we saw. Kay, you were truly happy in that ring. You belong in wrestling, always have." Hayley answered, giving my hands a gentle squeeze.

"What about my need for music? How am I supposed to make that kind of decision?"

Hayley looked at Jayson for a moment. He sat down on the other side of me with a smile upon his face. It was odd to be ganged up on not only from my best friends but my mother as well. What was next, my step-dad? Though, I doubt that was an option. He worked away five days a week and I rarely saw him anymore. "There is no reason that you can't do both sometime down the road. This is only a suggestion, the decision is ultimately your own." He said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"Okay, you are right. I'll think harder on it; but for now, I'm going to warm up for karaoke tonight." I said, getting up from the sofa.


	6. Decision Made

**A/N: Thank you all for the continued support. I truly love it. Onto the next chapter.**

**** The lyrics in this chapter belong to Stitched Up Heart ****

**Chapter 6:**

**Decision Made**

**Kenny**

"I need a drink." Nick said leaning forward in the chair he was sitting in.

"Yeah, let's get out of here for a little while. I'm starting to feel cramped." Matt replied, getting to his feet.

"You do know that I don't drink, right?" I commented on their suggestion.

"Yeah, you don't need to. Just drink water or something." Nick retorted.

They weren't going to take 'no' for an answer and I knew it. So I got to my feet, not bothering to change out of my navy blue workout shorts and white t-shirt. I simply followed them. Apparently they already had a plan on where to go. Matt wasn't wrong when he said that he was feeling cramped.

Hotel rooms were always small and there was never enough room. Looking down at my phone, I realized that it was only 9:30. I guess I thought it was much later than that considering I spent most of the day on the road.

Jacksonville, Florida was such a beautiful city at night. I got into the backseat once again, allowing one of the brothers to take the wheel. They talked amongst themselves, giving directions and such. It gave me far too much time to let my thoughts just wander. Looking out the window, the sights of the bright lights caught my imagination.

Matt drove for what seemed like an hour, it really was only fifteen minutes. I was usually a patient person; but tonight was a different story. The club they had taken us too was call Myth. That was ironic considering Jon Moxley referred to me as a myth.

"Oh look, there is karaoke tonight!" Nick said before bursting out into full laughter. He was probably remembering when we went and did karaoke.

"Hell yeah!" Matt stated, filling in with his own laughter.

I said nothing as I got out of the car. The night air wasn't as blissful as I had hoped for. There was a smell of stale cigarettes and alcohol. Neither thing appealed to me in the least. I'd rather be playing a video right now than be in this environment; but I didn't want to disappoint my best buds by not going along with them.

We walked inside and I could see a large tree in the center of the floor. The bar was crowded and the bartenders seemed a little overwhelmed. The stage was set up for the karaoke event they advertised. On the other side, there was a small restaurant of sorts.

"This place is nuts." Nick said loudly.

"Yeah, it's pretty neat." Matt answered just as loudly.

Turning my head slightly, I could see a cascade of aquamarine locks. Taking a few steps out from where I was standing, I could see the woman in question a little better. Her back was towards me, so I couldn't see her face. She wore a black lace high-low dress. The back was clear to the floor and her legs could be seen through the lace.

She was talking to several people and that's when I saw Jayson come into view. It was her. What were the odds of that happening? Nick and Matt came to stand beside me, wondering just what I was looking at.

"What's up man?" Nick asked.

"Karina is here." I answered.

"Seriously?" Matt questioned, turning his head in the direction I was looking in.

At this point, I just wanted to observe. I was hoping that she was there to sing, because I wanted to hear it again. Just the sight of her, got my heart pounding for no reason. This was another reason I wanted to stay away from relationships. I barely knew her and she was already in my thoughts.

Karina turned and I could finally see her face. She was smiling and felt so comfortable around the people that were already in the audience for the event. This was her environment and we were just spectators.

**Karina**

"So what song are you going to do tonight?" Hayley asked.

"Something from Stitched Up Heart, I think." I answered, feeling her hand on the small of my back.

"Good choice, I know how much you admire Mixi." Jayson chimed in.

That was the complete utter truth. Mixi was a voice I admired so much and her lyrical work was nothing but amazing. I felt like she was writing those songs for me, because I related so much to them. Depression and anxiety has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Sometimes it took opportunities away from me and crushed my dreams right in front of me.

It was days like those where I felt so alone and felt like I would never recover; but I always fought and clawed my way back up and continued forward, because there were people who cared about me and I would fight for them.

"The event is going to start in a few minutes. Remember, there are a couple talent agents out there scouting." The owner said into the microphone, trying to get everyone hyped up as best he could.

I hummed softly to myself, keeping my voice warmed up. Tucking my hair behind my ears, I turned slightly to the right and a familiar face caught my attention. Nick Jackson. It didn't take long before his brother Matt joined him. If the Young Bucks were there, then Kenny Omega couldn't be too far behind.

The thought of him being there brought unwanted butterflies in my stomach. I was supposed to be making a big decision about my future and seeing AEW's top tag team could quite possibly be a sign.

"Alright! Here to start the event off with a bang is Jacksonville's own Karina Dawson. Many of you may know her and if you don't then you are in for a real treat."

Tearing my eyes away from the brothers, I walked further onto the stage with a microphone in hand. The crowd was clapping and cheering, drowning out the hesitation in my heart. All I could do was smile and push forward. "Here we go, I'm going to be doing something from a band that I admire very much. You may know them as Stitched up Heart. This song is called Darkness."

The moment the words were out of my mouth, Kenny came into view sitting down beside the brothers. My eyes immediately connected with his. He cautiously lifted a hand up to wave. Swallowing hard, I concentrated on the music that started to play behind me. I lifted the microphone up to my lips.

"How many times

Can you hit rock bottom?

How many times

Can a razor cut?

How in the hell

Does it get better?

How many pills

For the pain to stop?"

The music dived into the rock aspect of the song, getting people out of their seats.

"And down I go

I'm falling deeper in

And I'm all alone

It's pitch black here again."

Jayson and Hayley were moving to the song with clasped hands. My eyes connected with those of Kenny once again. He was invested in the words and my voice. Nick and Matt looked at him, probably wondering what he was thinking.

The words continued to flow out of my mouth as it mirrored Mixi in my performance. I wanted people to understand that not everyone had perfect mentality and people shouldn't be shunned for it. Mine was anything but perfect.

"I'm not afraid of the dark, dark, darkness

I'm not afraid of the dark, dark, darkness in me

I won't fill my lungs

With bloody water

I won't fall apart

Again this time."

The last words flowed out of my mouth, adding my own touch to the song I loved so much. The people in front of me cheered and clapped. They knew that I had poured my heart out into the song, even though it wasn't my own.

Walking back off the stage, I weaved through the throb of people to get to the bar. My heart was pounding and I just needed a moment to calm down. The next person to take their place on the stage was someone I didn't recognize and her voice wasn't that great.

"That was simply amazing." A voice commented from behind.

I turned around and came face to face with Kenny. A smile curved my lips. The happiness was genuine. It was good to see him again. His brown hair was wild, in all different directions; but his blue eyes were bright, swirling with admiration. "Thank you." I said, taking hold of my drink that was made for me.

"You're welcome."

"So what brings you guys here?" I asked, making small talk with the man in front of me.

"We are getting ready for Fight For The Fallen next week."

"Oh wow, I completely forgot. I'm sorry, my mind isn't all there at the moment."

He waved the apology off as if it wasn't needed. It was like he understood me without me explaining anything, which was unlike any guy I had ever met before. "There is no need to apologize. I heard about what happened backstage during my match at Fyter Fest."

"Yeah, not exactly how I wanted things to go. On the plus side, it's given me time to think about my future a little more."

"Nothing wrong with that."

I sat my barely touched drink back down on the bar, paying the tab and took a couple steps away. Kenny now stood behind me with my back to him. Looking over my shoulder at him, I asked one thing. "Want to go for a walk?"

"Sure."

We weaved through the crowd. I never bothered to tell Hayley or Jayson where I was going. Kenny didn't say a word to Matt or Nick either. We simply left the building where we could actually hear our own words. The night air was thick and humid. The clouds were circling the sky, making me wonder if there was a storm approaching.

"I think I may have made up my mind." I said moving to stand against the railing. The view of the city from where I stood was breathtaking, always was and it never got old.

"About what?" He asked.

He moved to sit down on the railing right next to where I was leaning against it. For some reason, it was easy to talk to him. I barely knew him and my desire to know more was eating away at my consciousness. "I think I may want to wrestle again." I admitted.

**Kenny**

Her words were exactly what I had hoped she'd say. In those small moments in the ring with her, I knew she loved it. The smile on her face had been of pure joy. The fact that two of her bandmates left could have been a sign of things to come and where she was truly meant to be in the world.

"I can help you with that." I said.

A flash of lightning could be seen across the sky above the city. Small rain droplets speckled our skin. She didn't move an inch. Curling her bottom lip under her top one, she clenched the railing around her fingers. "I know that I shouldn't ask, you've got so much going on with this new company going to TNT in the fall…"

"Just ask, Karina." I interrupted her rambling.

"Would you help me get back into ring shape?"

Her question actually surprised me. She was asking me to get her ready for the ring. She could have asked so many different people and here she was asking me. The words to answer left my mouth and we remained silent for a few more seconds than I would have liked. "Have you talked to your friends about this?" I asked, avoiding answering her previous question.

"It was them who actually told me that I should wrestle again. I'm not going to lie, being the ring with you just brought me back to a level of happiness I haven't felt in a long time."

"Okay, then I will do what you ask. I will help you get back into ring shape and I will talk to Cody about getting you into AEW."

A rumbling of thunder echoed as Karina pushed herself away from the railing. The wind was starting to pick and it was blowing the bottom of her dress around her legs. Her teal locks remained a cascade of large waves down her back.

The rain let loose and came down hard upon us. I immediately got up from the railing and walked towards her. Just as I got close enough to touch her, she turned around, bumping into me. My hands went out to steady her, holding on longer than necessary. "We should get back inside before one of us gets sick." I suggested.

"Yeah, probably." She answered, stepping out of grasp and started her walk back to the club.

Once we got back inside, the event was still going on full force. I pulled my phone out of my pocket to make sure it didn't get wet. It seemed fine; but now with it out it seemed like a good idea to get Karina's contact information for Cody. "So what's your number so I can give to Cody."

Water trickled down her neck and rolled down chest. Blinking several times to get my focus back on her, she smiled despite being completely drenched. Karina reached her hand out to take my phone. She quickly typed something and handed the device back to me. When I looked down her contact information was saved into my phone and she was walking towards her friends.


	7. Calm Before The Storm

**A/N: A big thanks goes to kayla1997 for becoming a follower and Leasha Ambrose for the wonderful reviews. After watching 'All Out' I got quite a few more ideas for this little story of mine. Happy reading!**

**** The lyrics in the song belong to CHVRCHES****

**Chapter 7:**

**Calm Before The Storm**

**Kenny**

Walking into the AEW office headquarters, the next day, kind of made me nervous. It was different than a traditional trip the headquarters. This time I had a purpose and I hoped that my argument was receptive. Karina poured her heart out into her voice last night and then confined in me to say that she wanted to wrestle again. Not to mention, asked me to get her back into ring shape.

I saw the desire swirl in her ocean blue eyes and honestly, there was no way I was going to be able to tell her no. Cody was sitting at the head of the table. Matt and Nick were sitting across from him. All three of them instantly looked up to meet my gaze.

"Kenny? Didn't expect you here today." Cody stated, ultimately confused at my appearance.

"There is something I wanted to discuss with you guys." I answered, taking a seat next to Nick.

"Does this have something to do with Karina?" Matt asked.

I didn't acknowledge the question. Cody looked from Matt straight to me. He wanted an answer that much was certain; but I wanted to explain the situation myself. Running a hand over the tight curls on the top of my head, I swallowed hard and proceeded to open my mouth to speak.

"She wants to wrestle again. She also asked me to get her back into ring shape."

"I told you that the offer still stood. You can work with her and then we will go from there. If she's ready to go by 'All Out' then she could possibly be added to the match I have in mind." Cody said with a slight grin across his face.

Silently nodding my head in agreement, I took my leave of their meeting. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I found her newly added number and started to type a message to send. 'All Out' was August 31st. It was now July 10th. Just three days before Fight for the Fallen. I highly doubted that I would be able to get Karina ready for 'All Out'. That was just a short period of time.

"Kenny!" Cody's voice shouted from behind me.

I turned to see him jog in my direction. His expression was puzzling and I felt like he had more to say about Karina than he was willing to say in the meeting in front of the others. Perhaps, he really didn't want to take her on as a project or let me work with her. "What is your honest opinion of her? Is she was you want in a star for this company? Personal attraction aside, please."

Personal attraction? I supposed I never thought about it like that. Was that the reason I was doing all this? Relationships were never my strong suit and this was precisely why. "You and I both know that WWE ruined her. They never gave her a chance and I feel that we can give her that. I've heard the determination in her voice and saw the desire in her eyes personally."

"Fair enough. I was just checking."

**Karina**

The breeze was blowing through my open car windows. I was driving to my favorite boxing gym to get a good workout in. My decision to step back into the ring was one that I've been at war with myself about for a good couple of weeks. Pretty much when I saw AEW's Fyter Fest with my own eyes, did I get the urge to wrestle again.

The current song playing through my speakers changed to one I could easily sing along to and it got my heart racing just thinking about wrestling again. Tapping my fingers on the leather of my steering wheel, my voice rumbled in my throat in a hum.

"We're looking for angels in the darkest skies

Saying that we wanted more

I feel like I'm falling, but I'm trying to fly

Where does all the good go?

We're looking for answers in the highest of highs

But will we ever, ever know?"

Pulling into the parking lot, I saw my phone flashing with a blue light. Swiping up on the screen, I could see a message from Kenny waiting for me. Tapping on the message, I read the contents.

_**"Talked to Cody...everything is good for me to work with you."**_

A smile crept to my lips and somehow just those few words got my heart pounding. This man was so different and I respected that. I respect his talent and his eagerness to help me when he shouldn't even give me the time of day. My fingers quickly typed a response. **_"That's great news. I'm at my favorite gym. I'm going to get a good workout."_**

_**"Which gym?"**_

_**"Unlimited Boxing Gym."**_

There was silence now. Quickly grabbing my things, I got out of the car and proceeded towards the double doors. The manager smiled, recognizing me immediately. She granted me entry to the building and I immediately went to work. Crouching down, my legs stretched out. Reaching into my bag for my gloves, I slipped them on to start pounding on the bag hanging in the far corner.

Punch after punch landed on the tough bag. I mixed it up with kicks as well. Despite knowing a lot of wrestling techniques, I also knew a few martial arts things. I was pretty good at watching something and learning it fairly easily.

Shifting my body backwards into a backflip, I stood still just looking at the bag swaying. My arms ached, not used to the activity anymore. My legs also ached; but I knew that I had to fight through it if I wanted to get back into the ring again. The way my body was behaving in that current moment, I knew that I was nowhere near ready for the ring.

Grabbing the towel next to me, I wiped my face away from the sweat that was starting to drip down my face. Adjusting my top, getting back to my feet I turned to see Kenny walking into the building and I immediately froze.

"What are you doing here?" I asked softly.

"Observing. You asked me to get you back into ring shape and that's what I intend to do." He answered with a smile that only got my heart racing again.

This was going to be a lot harder now that he was watching. I could feel his gaze on my back as I turned to continue the workout I had started. My mind kept going back to that moment in the rain last night. The way his hands held onto my arms just made my skin burn. To be honest, I had no idea what I was thinking when I asked him to get me back into ring shape.

"Focus on one task at a time, Rina."

My eyes widened upon hearing that name come out of his mouth. It was a nickname I hadn't heard in years. Shaking off the emotions, I continued forward. Kenny offered his advice every chance he got and I listened, taking it all in because in the long run it would be beneficial for me to learn from someone so dedicated to the craft.

"Why don't you stop for today. We can continue tomorrow and get in the ring." Kenny suggested.

"Okay. I'll uh, get changed." I replied, grabbing my bag and headed straight for the bathroom.

Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I hated what was staring back at me. I felt hopeless and a waste of time. My problems steamed at the source of loss. I've lost my best friend, my other half, my twin brother. I wanted to stay strong for him. So far, I've been anything but strong. When I thought I'd found the perfect person to help me cope with the issues inside my head, it turned out that I was wrong. So I fell into a void of depression.

Slipping into a black tank that was flowy at the bottom and a pair of light colored jean capris. I pulled my hair up into a messy ponytail and turned to exit the bathroom. Kenny waiting in the exact spot I had left him in.

"So what is the plan for my training?" I asked, trying to get a feel for what was coming and also to put the thoughts of my brother behind me for the moment.

"I don't really have a plan to be honest. I'm kind of winging it; but I promise that I will get you ready to wrestle again."

I silently agreed with what he told me. Resting my bag onto my shoulder, I walked next to him towards the exit of the building. The manager waved at me in passing. The hot sun started to beat down upon my bare shoulders. "Was Cody okay with this?" I asked, curious as to what he thought about one of his best stars taking time to help a nobody reach ring shape.

"Yes, he specifically said that the offer was still on the table. If you're ready to go by 'All Out' he could insert you into a match that he's been working on."

"That doesn't give me a lot of time to get ready. I highly doubt I'll be ready by then."

"You aren't giving yourself enough credit. You wrestled for years, just because you didn't for a couple doesn't mean that the talent is gone."

**Kenny**

Karina's face told me a story and it wasn't a good one. There was a pain behind those beautiful eyes, a struggle internally that I couldn't even begin to start to unwind. At the same time, she drew me in like no one ever has before. She opened the backseat door and tossed her bag inside and I got my first view of the tattoo on her back.

Angel wings with a sword positioned straight down the middle. It was a familiar sword and if anyone had ever played Final Fantasy 7 they would know whose sword that belonged to. The One Winged Angel himself, Sephiroth. A nickname I had adopted over the years in Japan. "That's an awesome looking tattoo." I commented.

"Thank you." She replied, turning around to face me.

"I'll see you here tomorrow, 8 a.m?"

"I'll be here."

She opened the drivers door and got inside. Once she was out of sight, I walked over to my own vehicle. My fingers itched to type a new message and I had a feeling that it would only continue until I actually got to know her better. Perhaps, it was time to initiate the getting the know part of our new partnership.

Getting behind the wheel of my car, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and created a new message. **_"Would you consider joining me for dinner tonight? We should probably talk about what you already know so I don't teach you repeat things."_**

Taping the send icon on the screen, I really hoped that it didn't sound like I was asking her out for a date of sorts. Rereading the message, I figured that it was the best wording I could come up with. Now it was just a waiting game. Would she answer? Would she accept? I didn't have to wait long, because my phone lit up with her reply.

_**"Sure. Where? What's the dress code?"**_

Not expecting the quick reply, I opened my browser to search out a phone number to set up a reservation in one of my favorite Japanese restaurants. While I was busy figuring out the where part, I quickly sent her a reply. **_"I'll pick you up. Dress formal."_** Little did she know that there was a press conference tonight for Fight For The Fallen and I planned on taking her to that as well.


	8. Against The Wall

**A/N: A big thanks to C8lynMilitia, bribri1300 and Californication13 for becoming followers. Another big thanks to Guest for the wonderful review. Onto number eight, let me know what you think.**

***Lyrics in this song belongs to Seether***

**Chapter 8:**

**Against The Wall**

**Karina**

"Kay, why are you pacing?" Hayley asked, lifting her head from the paper on the table. She was watching me walk back and forth across my kitchen floor, holding my phone in my hand.

Hey words registered with my head just not my body. She was leaning against the island in the middle of the room writing something on paper, most likely new lyrics for a song that had formed inside her mind.

It was hard to even think of a coherent thought when the lingering thought of dinner with Kenny Omega just hovered over me. I had accepted far too quickly that it seemed almost like I was eager to have dinner with him, which was not something I wanted. Sure, dinner was a nice thought; but I could tell that he wasn't into me in a romantic way. It was strictly professional, which was perfectly fine with me.

I finally stopped pacing and went to lean on the other side of the island. Hayley sat the pen in her hand down, giving me her immediate attention. "I was asked to dinner." I stated, sitting my phone down next to my elbow.

"A dinner date or a business date?"

"I'm certain it's a business date; but it's been so long that I've been to dinner with someone. What the hell am I going to do?" I asked, running a hand through my tangled curls.

My phone buzzed next to me with another message. Hayley eyed my phone curiously and then a grin appeared on her face the moment she saw his name came across my screen. She was having fun at my expense. It's been three years since I've gone on any kind of date. The men I've seen have always seemed to let me down in some form or another, with the exception of Jayson.

Sliding my finger up the screen, I tapped once to open the message. **_"I suppose I should have asked where you live, so I could pick you up. Haha. How does 7:30 sound?"_** Reading the message, I realized that it never dawned on me that he hadn't asked for my address.

**"_3876 Woodland Avenue and 7:30 is perfectly fine."_**

Letting out a defeated sigh, I slid my phone away from me and put my head down on the countertop. Just what was I going to do? This was not an area of life that I excelled at, in fact I was quite bad at it.

Hayley walked around to where I was and placed a hand on the center of my back. Lifting my head back up, I shifted to look directly at her. "Come on, we should probably find something for you to wear."

"I don't know why I'm so nervous. I can wrestle in front of thousands of people and sing in front of just as many no problem; but being alone with a guy for a business dinner and I'm a mess. What the fuck is wrong with me?" I asked, following Hayley up the stairs to my bedroom.

"There is nothing wrong with you. It's just something that you aren't used to. Trust me, you will be fine once it begins. You adapt better than anyone I've ever met before."

She wasn't wrong. I've had to adapt to different things over the years and each time I succeeded. Hayley tossed her beautiful chestnut brown hair over her shoulder as she slid open my closet door. Dozens of dresses hung in plastic covers in the far corner, a place a rarely tapped into.

Sitting down on the edge of my bed, a thought came across my mind. What if by some chance this was something else? Or could be something else, how would I handle it? I looked pleadingly across the room at the photo of my twin brother and I at my last wrestling event in the WWE.

"Do you think Haden would be proud of me?" I asked almost in a whisper.

Hayley stopped dead and immediately looked at me. There was a dress in her hand. She carried it over to the bed and laid it down gently. Kneeling down before me, she took both my hands into her own. "Haden loved you. You were his twin sister and there was a bond that no one could ever break. Death may separate you for now; but he is still watching over you. Guiding you and he will always be proud of you."

"Thank you."

She stood up and reached to pull the dress from the plastic cover. I don't even remember seeing the beautiful item lying before me. The long halter style dress was an Ombre teal color with small sparkles embedded in the fabric. The inner layer was a silky form fitting dress with the outer layer a translucent overlay that would reach the tops of my feet. I couldn't believe how perfect that dress was.

"Why don't you go put that on." She suggested and I obeyed.

**Kenny**

I put her address into my phone's GPS. The drive was spent thinking. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. What if I was giving her the wrong impression? The sun was setting behind the large buildings of the city, creating an absolutely gorgeous sight. Rubbing a hand over my face, an image of her face came to mind.

"Damnit, this a bad idea." I voiced; but there was nothing I could do now.

Taking the next left, I drove down the street and then took another left to get onto Woodland Avenue. All the homes on this street were modern and slightly newer than most. 3876 was on the second section of the street. The outside was an olive green color was a darker green trim.

The grass was neatly mowed and the driveway was stone. The solar lights were lit around the sidewalk leading up to the front door. Smoothing out the fabric of my khaki colored dress pants and the navy blue of my button up dress shirt. Balling up my fist, I knocked on the door.

In a matter of seconds, which felt like minutes, the door opened. Hayley stood in front of me, welcoming me inside. I stepped over the threshold. The scent of vanilla and lemon waved under my nose. The floors were a grayish blue laminate that was throughout the entire room, matching all of her furniture and belongings that showed me a few things that she was interested in.

The spiral staircase had beautiful gothic wrought iron balusters the whole way up. Just from seeing the living room and the staircase, I could tell that she's done well for herself. Hayley placed a hand on her hip, catching my attention.

"She'll be down in a minute. I do want to say something though." She said as a matter of factly.

"What's that?"

"She's fragile. She's been through alot over the last few years. I assume this is just a professional dinner; but all I ask is just be honest with her."

Hearing her words, it made me understand that this was definitely a bad idea. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I heard the sound of heels clicking against floor. I looked up to see Karina walking down the stairs. Her hair was a cascade of aquamarine, matching her dress that was elegant but not too much. Hayley smiled upon seeing her and it was easy to see just how close they were. It reminded me of my friendship with Matt and Nick.

My breath was taken momentarily, she was absolutely stunning. She made it to the bottom of the stairs and stood before me. Somehow it felt like I was picking up a prom date, the nerves felt all the same. She smiled and reached for her handbag.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Yeah." She replied, taking a step towards me.

She waved at Hayley and followed me out the front door. Her heels clicked against the sidewalk as she walked out towards my car. I opened the passenger door for her and closed it the second she got inside. Walking to the otherside, I got behind the wheel and started the ignition.

"I'm sorry if Hayley said anything to you before I came down. She's really protective of me." She apologized.

"She really didn't say anything that I didn't already know."

Shifting my eyes a little from the road to her, I could see her fumbling with her hands in her lap. She was nervous. I smiled before opening my mouth again. "So dinner isn't going to happen. I couldn't get into the restaurant I wanted."

"Then what are we doing?"

She was on full alert at this point. A light chuckle escaped my mouth, slightly amused by her behaviour. I turned to the right, getting onto the highway. The view of the city was in my view once again. "Fight For the Fallen is Saturday and there is a press conference that requires my attendance. I figured you could attend and see the other side of the company."

"Fair enough."

"Tomorrow we will work on more in ring things."

"I need to get used to the ring again. When I ran the ropes with you at Fyter Fest, my body ached for a good week."

I understood what she was telling me. Shifting gears, I crossed lanes to pass the car in front of me. The feeling of eyes on me got me turning my head to look at her, meeting her gaze. "What?" I asked, questioning the glance.

"Nothing...it's just...I know this is business related; but I'm not used to this kind of thing. I don't know a whole lot of good guys."

"I hear ya. I've stayed away from relationships because I wanted to concentrate on my wrestling. Maybe you need a good career to drown all the bad out."

"Perhaps you are right. Jayson and Hayley are wonderful; but they are together, so they don't understand my inner turmoil all the time. I think that was why I started to write songs, to get all my emotions out there in the open."

Listening to her talk openly, calmed the nerves there were inside me. The destination was getting closer and all I wanted to do was continue to listen to her, maybe it would help her in the long run. "Do we have time to make a small stop before we get there?" She asked softly.

"Yeah, where did you want to stop?"

"Stop at the Memorial Park, if you want to see a view. There is one there that absolute gorgeous."

I did what she asked. Pulling into the parking area, she got out immediately. The ocean breeze hit us in the face. I stood close to the car and allowed to walk forward. There was something on her mind. The overlay of her dress flowed around her in the wind. The sunset was right at the ocean's edge.

She leaned against the white stone railing. I approached slowly, not wanting to scare. There wasn't a single person in sight, not that it mattered. Every moment I spent with her, I learned little bits more about her.

"I scattered by brother's ashes here. I always wonder if he would be proud of things I've done since he died."

That information was not something I was expecting. When Hayley said she was fragile, I had no idea that kind of thing happened to her. Taking even more steps closer, I could hear her hum softly.

"I was born to fly away

And run across the sun

It faded out

Like a candle in the breeze

Fadin' out

Like I'm supposed to.

So everyday I'm against the wall

With nowhere to turn to

And If I dare to believe at all

It leaves me deflated."

I came to stand beside her, seeing the single tear rolling down her cheek. Without thinking, I reached out to wipe it away, keeping my hand on her face. She curled her fingers around my palm and pulled it away. "Rina, I'm fairly certain that he would be proud. You just need to do what your heart tells you to do."

"I'm going to. That's why I asked for your help."

"That's exactly what I'm going to do."

"Thank you."

She let go of my hand and started her way back to the car. There had to be a reason she wanted to stop here. My assumption was that she needed closure for whatever reason or just wanted to talk about it to someone, anyone.


	9. Bold

**A/N: A big thanks goes to DarkDragoness-Flies, DanDgirl and ClassicPurpleRoses for becoming followers. I appreciate each and every one of you readers. Onto number nine, this one is gonna be emotional; but not as sad as the previous one. Let me know what you think.**

**Chapter 9:**

**Bold**

**Kenny**

Karina kept quiet the rest of the drive to the conference. I wasn't surprised. She had talked about something that I couldn't even begin to imagine the pain behind. She had to say goodbye to someone she loved far too soon and it wasn't fair.

I didn't know the details behind it; but I really didn't need to. The pain behind her eyes told me the story loud and clear. The more I learned about her, the more I wanted her to succeed. Fragile didn't seem like the appropriate term to describe her.

Pulling into the parking area, I put my car into park and turned the ignition off. She reached for the door handle, curling her fingers around the metal. "Hey, are you okay? You don't have to go inside if you don't want to." I said, trying my best to sound like a friend she could confide in.

"I'm alright. I needed to do that. I've felt so guilty lately, because I haven't visited that place in a long time. It's pointless to visit his gravestone. There is nothing there." She answered, forcing the pending tears back. Her eyes were glassy and so ready to spill over.

"I understand. If you want to talk, I'm an available ear." I offered.

"Thank you. I appreciate that."

She opened the car door and I exited as well. Walking over to her side, she gave me a smile that really didn't seem forced at all. Returning the smile, I placed a hand at the small of her back and made our way inside.

Press were surrounding Cody and Brandi. They were talking about the charity. We aimed to donate money to victims of gun violence. To be honest, it was a wonderful cause, far too many lives are lost to those senseless crimes.

"Yo Kenny!" Matt shouted, waving an obnoxious hand from across the room.

Karina laughed softly, "They really are amusing." She stated, taking a step closer to me.

"You have no idea."

Approaching them, Nick raised a questioning eyebrow at me. He was obviously wondering why Karina was there with me. She clenched her bag tighter and took a step even closer to me. "Nice to see you again, Karina." Matt greeted, holding his hand out to her.

She accepted the handshake, then quickly turned to accept Nick's hand as well. Her eyes shifted all over, looking at all the people present. As I looked around as well, there was a face she would recognize. Jon Moxley.

With his wife employed by the WWE, she wasn't permitted to attend these functions. He caught sight of her and proceeded to walk in her direction. It got me curious as to what he wanted from her.

**Karina**

"So has training begun?" Nick asked, with a sly grin across his face.

"Kind of...it will be more involved tomorrow." I answered, then turned slightly only to see Jon Moxley closing in on my location.

"Karina, are you employed by AEW now?" Jon asked simply.

Nick and Matt stood rigid, eyeing Kenny suspiciously. His elbow brushed against mine briefly. I wondered what had them on edge and then I remembered the hostility between Kenny and Jon after Fyter Fest. I honestly thought that it was all just a storyline; but perhaps it wasn't at all.

"Not exactly. I've asked for help to get back into ring shape, so I can wrestle again." I answered, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

"She has a spot waiting for her when she's ready to go." Matt confirmed, which was news to me. A smile tugged at my lips. These people were so passionate about their craft and I loved that about them.

"I see, well then, there is something I'd like to speak to you about. Privately please."

I could see the tension on Kenny's rigid form. Placing a hand on his, he immediately looked at me. There was a silent pleading look in them for me not to go with him. "Okay." I said softly, then followed Jon away from the others.

We now stood on the other side of the room. The press had found The Young Buck and Kenny, so it was their turn to answer questions. Turning to give Jon my full attention, he looked at me to a solemn expression. There was something on his mind and he was debating on telling me or not.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked.

"So I've heard a rumor that PAC will be coming to AEW." He answered.

That name got my blood boiling. I didn't understand why he would bring him up knowing exactly what happened. Clenching my hands at my sides, my jaw tightened. "Why the hell would you tell me that?" I snapped.

"You need to be prepared to face him, especially if you start wrestling again for this company."

"He's the past and he will continue to be the past. I'm looking to the future right now. I'm determined to show the world that WWE made a mistake in firing me."

Adrian was not a face I wanted to face; but I knew that eventually the past would come back to test me. I supposed it was going to be the time sooner than I figured it would happen. There really wasn't anything I could do about it. I needed to concentrate on myself and get back what I lost. Self-Confidence.

Jon let out a sigh before reaching out to place a hand on my bare shoulder. His eyes searched mine. He was looking for something. "I just want you to be cautious. Don't trust anyone, not even me. You'll be safer that way."

"Jon, trust is earned with me. It's not given freely. To be honest, you sound like you don't want me to join AEW."

"I just want you to be careful on who you associate with."

His eyes immediately left mine to stare behind me, which meant he was looking at Kenny, Matt and Nick. There was some kind of hostility and I didn't understand why. "What is the grievance between you two?"

"I just don't like how cocky he is. He's never made it mainstream; but yet, he claims to be the best in the world."

"Oh my god! You sound like a jealous teenager. Whatever happened to respect between athletes?"

"That really doesn't exist anymore."

Narrowing my eyes, I was frustrated with how this conversation was going. I swiftly turned heel and walked through the crowd, storming outside the building. Everything inside me screamed to just let it go. Jon always had a problem with someone along the way and yet, the information that Adrian would be coming to AEW soon had me shaking.

The night hair was starting to get clammy. My skin was raised in goosebumps. I didn't know why I let what Jon said get to me. So what if there were issues between them, it had nothing to do with me, right?

"Karina, are you alright?" A familiar voice asked.

I turned to see Cody standing a few feet away. He was dressed in a light gray tuxedo. The bleach of his hair really brought out the blue of his eyes. There was a genuine look of concern on his face. "I'm okay. Just needed some air."

"I kinda overheard the conversation between you and Jon."

"Is there really no respect between athletes anymore?"

"Oh I believe there is. I think what's going on between Kenny and Jon is a lot more complex than just simple respect."

He had a point. There had to be something more to it than that. I respected Jon because he had stuck up for me when WWE had fucked me over. I respected Kenny for all things he had accomplished without using WWE as a platform. Tucking hair behind my ear, I took several steps closer. "Was it wrong of me to ask him for help?" I asked, trying to understand if what I did was the right thing to do.

"Absolutely not. Trust me when I tell you that he wants to help you."

Slightly nodding my head, I could see Brandi come outside to signal her husband that he was needed inside. The couple returned inside just as Kenny made his way outside. Leaning against the railing, I took a deep breath, preparing myself for whatever it was he was going to say.

If I was honest with myself, I enjoyed his company. My emotions were betraying me and I hated it. Turning my head, he had closed the distance between us and leaned against the railing next to me.

"I'm not going to ask you what Jon wanted; but you looked upset."

"It just seems my past is going to come face to face with me if I continue on this path."

"Are you second guessing yourself?"

"Maybe a little; but the want to get back in the ring is much greater."

I wanted to say more; but Matt and Nick came out to interrupt the conversation. Kenny was once again needed inside. He turned to look at me and I simply smiled at him, silently letting him know it was perfectly okay to leave me out here. However, I didn't expect him to hold his hand out for me to take.

Blinking a couple times, I accepted his hand. He pulled me from the railing to stand close at his side. Placing a hand on the small of my back, he urged me forward. Nick and Matt opened the door for us to step through.

"Kenny, who is this beautiful young lady next to you?" Tony Khan, founder of AEW, asked.

He was very professional looking. Dressed in a standard black tuxedo with a black tie. Clean shaved face and dark eyes, he just looked like money. Kenny curled his fingers into my side and a pleasant chill ran up my spine. "This is Karina Dawson. Front woman of Celestial and former WWE wrestler." He said introducing me to one of the founders of AEW.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Cody has actually mentioned you. Training to get back in the ring, I hear."

"Yes, that's the goal anyway." I answered, shaking his hand firmly.

"I look forward to seeing your debut."

"Thank you."

He took his leave and I let out the breath that I had been holding in. Kenny chuckled at my obvious nervousness. I elbowed him, "Don't make fun of me. Sue me for being nervous." I said playfully.

"No reason for you to be nervous. This is just a press conference, the real nerves start when you debut."

"If that ever happens."

"It will, I guarantee it."

It wasn't much longer that the conference ended and we were on our way back to my house. The night lights of the city were beautiful and I still loved looking at them despite living in Jacksonville my whole life. My mind was swirling with so many things and one of those things were words for a new song. It mentally didn't sound like a hard rock song, it sounded more poppy almost EDM like.

"You're quiet, something on your mind?" Kenny asked, dragging me out of my mental thoughts.

"Nothing in particular. I've always got things on my mind everyday."

"Tomorrow is going to be in ring things and I'll meet you at the gym around eight in the morning, is that okay?"

"That sounds good to me."

Again, I wanted to say more; but fear kept the words from flowing from my lips. We were almost to my house and if I was honest with myself, I didn't want him to leave. Despite Jon's warning to be cautious about who I associate with, I felt secure around Kenny. He looked so innocent.

Looking at the clock on the dash, it read 11:30 p.m. What excuse was there so I could continue talking with him? I didn't want it to seem that I was looking for anything more than company.

He pulled into my driveway and put the car into park right next to mine. Swallowing the large lump in my throat, I turned to look at him directly. "Thank you for accompanying me tonight." He said in the most sincere voice.

"You're welcome. Do you want to come inside?" I asked boldly. I had no idea why it was so hard for me to ask a simple question; but the butterflies in my stomach told me an entirely different story.

He was silent for only a moment. To me, if felt like an eternity. Turning back to face me, he smiled. "I would; but it's already almost midnight and we both need sleep for the morning training session. Raincheck?"

"Sure, no worries."

I exited the car and walked around the front of the vehicle, coming to stop at his window. He waved and I raised my hand to wave in return. Backing down the driveway, he drove off and I stood motionless wondering what I was going to do with all these new emotions running through me. I supposed that I could write them down in lyric form and see what comes of it.


	10. Inner Struggles

**A/N: A big thanks goes to ShieldGirlBecky for becoming a follower. Another big thanks goes to MamaChele81 for the wonderful review. I apologize for the lack of updates. I recently moved and wanted to get settled into my new house; but now everything is settled and I'm ready to continue telling this story. Here is number ten and I hope you all enjoy it. Let me know what you think.**

**Chapter 10:**

**Inner Struggles**

**Kenny**

The disappointed look on her face and more than enough for me to want to turn the car around; but I knew that I couldn't. To be honest, I didn't know if it would have been the smartest decision to stay anyway. Trying to keep our acquaintanceship strictly friendly and professional was getting harder. That's just how it had to be. Being at the point I am in my career, I couldn't afford to loose myself in the process.

Looking down at my phone, the screen was lit up with Matt's name across the screen. I picked up the device and answered the call.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Just wanted to make sure everything was okay. Karina really seemed upset after talking to Moxley."

"I know and I don't have an answer to give. She didn't talk about it and I'm starting to wonder if I'm the best option to train her."

"Why would you say that? You are the best guy for the job."

Blinking a few times, I remained silent for a few more seconds before answering him. Fight For The Fallen was in two days and I wanted to concentrate on Cima. If I continued down this path, my mind wouldn't be solely focused on the match. "Kenny, there is nothing wrong with being attracted to her." Matt said before I could open my mouth.

"I stay away from relationships for a reason."

"You aren't getting any younger, maybe she is the right one for you."

Groaning at his persistence, I turned the car to pull into the parking lot of the hotel I was currently staying in. Telling Matt goodbye and hung up the phone only seemed to bring Karina to mind. That same disappointed look on her face was starting back at me every time I closed my eyes. How was I going to get through tomorrow's training? Running a hand over my face, I pushed open the car door and proceeding inside.

**Karina**

Thankfully the house was empty when I got back inside. I really didn't want to talk about the night with them. Walking up the stairs to my bedroom, I unbuckled my shoes and tossed them back into the closet. They were likely to not be worn again for another six months. Walking passed the mirror, it caught my attention and I stopped to stand right in front of it. My reflection was staring back at me and all it did was create a familiar burning sensation at the corners of my eyes.

"Why am I like this? No wonder no one wants to be around me…" I told myself before pulling the strap from around my neck and let the dress fall to the floor in a pool at my feet.

While dressing into a pair of sleep shorts and a random t-shirt, I kept looking over at my phone lying on my nightstand. I didn't know why I was looking for a message. It was pretty obvious that it was strictly professional between us.

Thinking back to earlier in the night, Jon's words rung loudly inside my head. PAC or Adrian Neville was joining AEW and if I signed with them, I would cross paths with him once more. Did I want the emotional baggage that would inevitably follow?

Crawling into bed, I curled onto my side and closed my eyes. Tapping the lamp once, the light was gone and I lay in darkness. The internal war with myself had begun. Fighting back the tears, I slid further into the covers and buried my face into my pillow. The sound of my phone vibrating against the wood of my nightstand alerted me and I quickly swiped the device into my hand.

The name in my inbox was not the name I wanted to see. It was Hayley. **_"How did the night go? Sorry we left without telling you, Jay wanted to get dinner and a movie."_**

**"_I really don't want to talk about the night. Super pissed at myself and my cursed emotions. Love you guys and see you tomorrow."_**

Turning my phone off, I slid back down into the covers and forced myself to fall asleep. The next day, the sound of my alarm going off woke me. Groaning, I pushed the off button and tossed the covers to the side. Today was supposed to be a training day; but if I was honest, it didn't feel like it was going to be a good day regardless.

Getting dressed into a pair of black athletic work out capri's and a navy blue tank, I walked out of my bedroom and downstairs to see my mom in the kitchen. It was odd for her to be here this early in the morning. Her eyes met mine and I could instantly tell that there was something wrong.

"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting my gym back down on the island.

"You should probably sit down." She answered. That was a red flag to me.

I did what she asked and I feared for the worst. Rachel Dawson, my mom, was the only blood family I had left and seeing the look on her face, I felt like something was going to be taken away from me. Her brown eyes were puffy and whites were splotched with red. She reached for my hands and gave them a tight squeeze.

"Mom, you're scaring me. What's going on?" I asked again, hoping that she'd give me an answer.

"I got a call today and I don't even know how he found my number. Hell, I don't even know why I answered."

"Who was it?"

"Your biological father…"

Sucking in a sharp breath of air, I instantly felt numb. He's never wanted anything to do with me in all my twenty-nine years, so why call my mom now. There had to be a logical reason, right? Mom looked directly at my shocked face and reached up to stroke the skin of my cheek tenderly. "He wants to meet you." She admitted as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Why? He didn't want anything to do with me, so why all of a sudden does he want to meet me? Did he even ask about Haden?" I asked, flaring in frustration and anger.

"I didn't ask and yes, he did. I told him what happened and that it was up to you if you wanted to meet him or not."

She unfolded a piece of paper and slid it in front of me. It had an address written and a time on it. Confusion consumed me. What the hell was I supposed to do with this? Snatching the item quickly, I stuffed it into the front pocket of my gym bag. "How the hell am I supposed to go through training with that on my mind?" I snapped.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, I wanted you to know. Try not to think about it while you are with Kenny. Maybe he can help you to figure out what you want to do."

"Doubtful, this is strictly business between him and I."

Grabbing my bag, I walked out of the kitchen and out the front door. Today already sucked and I can't imagine it getting any better. Getting behind the wheel of my car, I started the ignition and Halsey's song 'Eyes Closed' started to play across the speakers. The words caressed my skin, making me sink further into my own thoughts. Not just those about my father; but those of Adrian and Kenny.

Before I backed down the driveway, my phone buzzed inside the cup holder. Picking the phone up, I could see Kenny's name in my inbox. **_"Running a little behind, I'll be there as soon as I can."_**

**"_No worries, I haven't left my house yet. It's been a bad morning."_**

Sitting it back down in the holder, I backed down the driveway and started my journey to the gym. Once again, my mind kept wandering back to what my mother had told me. It would have been nice to forget that my biological father existed; but as a girl, I was always curious about my father.

Did I want to meet him? If I did, I could ask the questions that I could never have answered by my mother. My mouth moved with the words in the song and all I wanted to do was hide from the world and let my problems drown in the endless void.

**Kenny**

Pulling into the parking lot of the gym, I could see Karina's car parked a few slots over. Grabbing my bag from the backseat, I proceeded towards the doors. She was in the far corner obviously taking some major frustrations out on the punching bag hanging from the ceiling. Her long aquamarine hair was pulled up into a high ponytail and it bounced with every strike she made against the bag.

"I'm sorry that I'm late." I said, trying to get a conversation going with her.

She stopped and turned around to look at me. Her usual bright blue eyes were bloodshot and puffy. When she said bad morning, she wasn't kidding. There was something wrong and the look on her face made my heart sink. "Hey, what's wrong?" I asked taking several steps towards her.

"It's nothing." She replied quickly.

I ignored it. Closing the remaining space between us, I forced the voice in my head to keep my distance to the back of my mind. I pulled her into my arms and held on tightly. She trembled against me. "I can't do this. I'm sorry that I wasted your time." She said and the words stung, more than they should; but I also couldn't shake the feeling that it really wasn't what she wanted.

Karina pushed herself out of my arms, shaking her head. I watched as she grabbed her bag and walked away. Instinctively, I gave chase. Once we were outside, she stopped at her car and tossed her bag inside. "I really don't think that you want to stop this. You want to wrestle again."

"Maybe so, but now is not the right time."

"What happened between yesterday and today? Was it what Moxley told you?"

"Some of it."

Letting out a sigh, I knew that I was completely out of my element with this conversation; but I also knew that I couldn't just let her run from something she obviously wanted to do again. "Rina, talk to me. I want to help you."

She laughed, "Help me? You can't. You can't even begin to understand what I'm going through right now. I just had a fucking bombshell explode right in front me this morning. I could handle seeing Adrian again if that meant wrestling again; but this...this I can't handle."

She wasn't making any sense. Adrian must mean PAC or Adrian Neville. She must have had a prior relationship with him. Her eyes became watery, tears rolling down her cheeks as she leaned back against her car. I reached out to her and rubbed the pad of my thumb across her cheek, wiping the tears away. "I'm such a fucking mess. Trust me, it's better if you weren't around me. You don't need a blemish on your legacy."

"Everyone has fucking problems, Karina. It's about how you handle them and having a support system when things go wrong."

"How do you handle being told that your absentee father wants to meet you after twenty-nine years of never wanting anything to do with you?"

Karina was right. I couldn't begin to imagine what she was going through. She looked up at me, searching for an answer to her question and the words had left my mouth. The anger that once filled her was gone and she relaxed. "How long do you have to make that decision?" I asked, giving myself a little time to come up with something to say.

"He wants to meet tonight." She answered, looking away from me.

My hand instantly took hers and held it, rubbing my thumb across her knuckles. My body was doing everything my head was telling me not to do; but the feeling of her soft skin against mine just felt right to me. "You're right, I don't know what you're going through. All I know is that, you shouldn't give up what you want to do just because you're having a hard time. I know for a fact that AEW can give you what other companies could not."

"Perhaps you are right. I'm sorry, it was unfair of me to take my problems out on you."

I smiled, letting her see that I was not upset with her at all, then I pulled her back into my arms. This time, she wrapped her around my torso. Accepting my embrace. Her head rested on my chest, probably hearing my rapid heartbeat. "All is good, Karina. I think we should try and salvage the time we have left for training. If you want me to go with you tonight, I will."

She quickly stepped out of my arms. Her eyebrow was raised in confusion. "Why would you do that? You barely know me." She stated and spoke the obvious truth. I really didn't know her that well and here I was offering to go with her on a very personal event in her life.

"If need the support, I'm willing to be there for you."

"I appreciate that; but it's not necessary. I can do this on my own; but I do think that we should go back inside and take what time we have left to get me ready for a return to the ring."

"Fair enough."

We walked back inside the gym and spent several hours going through techniques that were basic to get her familiar with the ring once again. She was determined to succeed and that was needed for this road. The fire of desire in her eyes only intensified the training with her. It was hard to keep my thoughts on business. I've had many many years of practice of forcing unwanted thoughts away; although, she made it that much harder.


	11. The Meeting

**A/N: A big thanks to MamaChele81 and ILSAIDE for the wonderful reviews. I want to thank all of you readers as well. It definitely keeps me motivated. Onto number eleven, hope you all enjoy. R&R.**

**Chapter 11:**

**The Meeting**

**Karina**

After training was said and done for the day, my mind immediately went to the meeting my father wanted with me. Sweat rolled down the side of my neck and dipped between the front of my shirt. I tried not to look at Kenny, who was walking in front of me towards the exit of the gym. He had offered to go with me to the meeting for support and in that moment, I actually contemplated it.

He stopped walking the second we reached my car in the parking lot. Turning to face me fully, there was unexplained emotion running over his features. Sadness. What did he have to be sad about? Or was it pity for me?

"Karina…" He started, my name faded off his mouth.

"Yes?" I answered questioningly.

"I honestly don't know what advice I can give in this situation; but if you need anything from me, just send me a text. Okay?"

His words made the tension inside lighten. A smile tugged at my lips, allowing me to actually think straight for a brief moment. I reached to open the drivers door of my car. Tossing my bag to the front seat, I turned back around to look at him. "It's okay. To be honest, I have no idea what I'm going to do. I appreciate the support you've already given me. There is no need to do more than you already have."

He took a couple steps closer to me until he was only inches away. My heart started beating faster than normal, which seemed to be a pattern when he was around. It confused me and that was probably because I've never really felt that kind of thing before. Sure, I've been attracted to men and even dated them; but nothing ever stuck. I always thought men didn't want me because I was so damaged from my past; but here was Kenny freaking Omega showing me affection in a completely different way.

It wasn't dominating. It wasn't fast paced. It was warm and comforting, both things I really needed. I was beginning to think he was the friend I've been secretly searching for without ever knowing it.

"If you say so; but the offer still stands. I'll see you tomorrow." He said, giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze.

He moved away and continued on towards his own vehicle. I let out a sigh before getting behind the wheel. The drive home was spent in thought, which didn't come as a surprise to me. Pulling into the driveway, my mom's car and Jayson's car were already in the driveway. Rolling my eyes, I groaned at the thought of company.

Hayley was sitting on the front porch with her hands folded across her lap. Her long beautiful chestnut hair was pulled forward in a braid. She looked up to meet my gaze when I exited my car.

"Hey, I was wondering where you were." She said, getting to her feet.

"I had training today, remember." I answered, stepping up onto the porch.

"Oh right! I forgot. How did that go?"

"It went pretty well, I'd say. I remember a lot more than I thought I did."

She smiled and gave me a hug. We stepped inside the house and walked into the kitchen where my mom and Jayson were cooking something that smelled absolutely delicious. They looked at me with smiles on their faces. This was completely different than when I left this morning for training. What changed in those few hours I was gone? "What's going on? You all seem surprisingly chipper considering what you told me this morning, mom."

"I know; but this is our way of saying we are here for you." Jayson said, stirring a large pot of pasta on the stove.

"The decision to meet your father is up to you; but we are all still here, willing to listen to anything you have to say." My mom countered, moving across the room to wrap her arms around me.

"Thank you." I said with a smile.

My mom let go of me and returned to finish cooking whatever she was making. I pulled a chair out from the island and sat down. Of course, the moment of silence between us gave my mind the opening the start thinking about my father again. "How was training today?" My mom asked, trying to keep conversation going.

"Went good. I remembered more than I thought I did, which was good. It also means, I might have a shot at wrestling in August."

"That's wonderful! So tell me, is this trainer of yours a nice guy?"

A sly grin appeared on Jayson's face followed by Hayley just shaking her head. It's been a while since they heard my mom interrogate me about a guy. Unconsciously, I looked at my phone resting on the table. Any kind of message would have been great at that moment. "Yes mom, he is a nice guy."

**Kenny**

Sitting in my hotel room, I was beginning to get home sick. I missed Japan and being away from it more often now was hard. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed being a part of AEW and I knew that eventually I would have to move to the states. Being an executive president of a company, I was required to be in certain places at certain times. Living in Japan would make it a lot harder.

Laying back on the bed, I stared at the ceiling that just seemed to blend together. Running a hand through my hair, I heard a knocking at the door. Getting up, I opened the door to see Nick and Matt standing there with Cody tucked behind them.

"What's up, guys?" I asked, stepping aside to let them in.

"So what is Karina's progress looking like?" Cody asked sitting down on the edge of the coffee table.

"You came here to ask me that?"

"Well yeah, you weren't answering your phone."

Looking over at my phone on the charger on the opposite side of the room, I could see a light flashing. Of course, I had been so lost in thought that I hadn't heard the phone calls. Sitting back down on the edge of the bed, I ran a hand over my face. "She's doing good. I think she's found the grove she needed and has remembered a lot more than I originally thought. There is a good possibility that she could be ready by All Out."

"That's great news! I'm having Brandi announce a Casino Battle Royal for All Out and the winner will be one of two participants to challenge for the First Ever AEW Women's World Championship at the first episode October 2nd in DC." Cody answered with optimism.

That match was insane and brilliant at the same time. If I could get Karina ready by then, I had no doubt that she would love to be a part of that. A flash of her face came to mind, sending a chill up my spine. The defeat on her face at the start of the day followed by the desire and determination by the end of the session. "Kenny, are you alright?" Matt asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Got a lot going on, you know." I said, playing the spiral of thoughts off.

"Are you sure? We haven't seen you this lost in thought in a long time." Nick asked.

"Guys, trust me. I'm fine."

The way they were looking at me told me that they weren't buying it. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask for advice, considering all three of them were married and had experience with the female gender. "Okay fine, I'm at a loss about something." I said, tossing my hands up in defeat.

"Karina?" Matt stated just by saying her name.

"At the start of training, she actually said she wanted to stop because she wasn't in the right state of mind. After some talking, she told me that her biological father wants to meet her tonight after twenty-nine years of absenteeism. I offered to go with her for support, in which she declined; but I kind of feel like I may have overstepped with her." I explained, trying my best not to think about the defeated look on her face.

Cody chuckled softly before leaning forward, propping his elbows against his knees. Matt and Nick looked at each other for a moment before sitting down on the floor. They really weren't helping the insecurities at all. They actually were adding to them. "I don't think you overstepped. Something like that is very personal and she probably isn't ready to let you that close to her life. Sure, you guys got some chemistry; but when it comes right down to it, you really don't know each other. Maybe you should concentrate on getting to know her before all else." Matt said, pulling his hair back into a ponytail.

"I agree with what Matt said. There is so much potential there. The chemistry was there the second you two met." Cody added as he stood up to place a hand on my shoulder.

The three of them left me to my own thoughts once again. I really thought about what they had said and of course, they weren't wrong in the least. Getting up from my prone position, I walked over to my phone charging. Picking it up, I deleted the missed calls from Matt and Cody.

Time just seemed to pass me by quickly. It was already 6:30 and dinner was already sounding good. Room service didn't appeal to me, so I quickly changed into something more presentable. Dark colored jeans and an orange Dragon Ball Z t-shirt. There had to be something good around the hotel so I didn't have to drive anywhere, right?

Quickly making it down to the lobby, I exited through the doors and was on my way. Jacksonville was still one of the most beautiful cities in America and the fact that Karina lived there only added to its charm. The crowded sidewalks were cramped and I tucked into a small cafe. The smell of coffee and pastries waved under my nose; but what really caught my attention was that the cafe was attached to a japanese restaurant.

Finding myself a table in the restaurant section of the building, I looked at what their menu entailed. Across the room, at the cafe section a blur of aquamarine hair walked through. I blinked a couple times, focusing on the figure. Sure enough, Karina was sitting down at a small table. Was that the place she was supposed to meet her absentee father? Curiosity set in and I watched, waiting for who would join her.

**Karina**

I nervously fumbled with my hands. To be honest, I had no idea why I decided to come to this meeting. He hadn't been a part of my life for twenty-nine years; but as a woman, I wanted answers to my aching questions. Looking down at my phone, I stared at my contact list just hovering over Kenny's name. Closing my hand tightly, I pushed the device away just as a man sat down in front of me.

"Hello Karina." He greeted warmly.

He stood around 5'11 or 6'0, it was pretty close. His eyes were bright blue like mine and his skin was a subtle tan color. Dark brown hair that was streaked with gray at the sides. His voice was deeper than I expected. My nerves were completely shot at this point and I had no idea what to say.

"Hi." I said softly, trying my damnedest not to start crying.

"You've grown into such a beautiful woman."

"Why? Why were you never there?" I said cutting his compliment off.

He let out a sigh, reaching for the cup of coffee that was in front of him. How could he not expect me to have questions? He swallowed hard and then opened his mouth to speak. I waited, hopeful that I'd get the answer I've wanted to hear. "I am so sorry for not being there for you and your brother. I wasn't in the right state of mind when your mother told me she was pregnant with twins. You have no idea how much I wanted to be there for you two. My mind just wouldn't let me. I spent years in and out of mental hospitals across the state."

"I would have been happy with a letter, something to know that I was wanted and loved."

"Rina, I'm…"

"DON'T! You don't get to use that name with me."

The tears were burning the corners of my eyes at this point and all I wanted was the courage to face this head on. My brows furrowed at the frustration I was feeling. He nodded, understanding that he hadn't earned my trust or the ability to use a nickname that Haden had given me.

Shifting my eyes, I could see through the window to the restuarant next door. A bright orange t-shirt caught my attention and then I saw him. Kenny was eating at the resturant next door. Just knowing he was there calmed the emotions cascading through me. "I am truly sorry that I was not there for you; but it looks to me that your mother did a wonderful job raising you." He said, trying the compliment tactic once more.

"Flattery isn't going to get anywhere with me. Being in mental hospitals doesn't prevent you from contacting family. Twenty-nine years without a single word, so why now? Why give a damn now?" I asked, turning words into a venom.

"Regret. There are so many things I regret in my life and this was the biggest one of them all. I wanted to at least try."

I understood regret; but somehow I didn't feel like that was the entire story. The door opened from the resturant wall that connected to the cafe. Kenny proceeded out through, making eye contact with me. "Hey, Karina." He greeted warmly.

"Hey." I answered with a smile.

My father studied him for a moment then looked back to me. I stood up and took a step back from the chair. "I'm begining to think that this was a mistake." I said, just as I felt Kenny's hand touch the curve of my back.

"I don't think that it was. You came, so you were at least curious as to what I had to say. It might not have been what you wanted to hear; but all I could do was tell you the truth. I am sorry that life worked out the way it did. You are still my daughter and I want a chance to get to know you."

"Perhaps someday you will; but right now, I just can't trust that you are telling the truth."

I stormed off in the direction of the exit with Kenny giving chase after me. Once outside, I sucked in a deep breath of fresh air and exhaled it slowly. My emotions were all over the place and on some level, I felt like I hadn't given my father a fair chance. Who was I to judge his mental state of mind when mine was never perfect growing up? Hell, even now it wasn't perfect.

"Karina, are you okay?" Kenny asked, closing the distance between us.

"Yeah...I needed to do this, even if it wasn't how I envisioned it."

"Do you want to talk? The hotel I'm staying at is right now the street."

Boy this question was deja vu. I had asked him to come inside last night and he declined. Though, that didn't really matter to me. I needed to be around someone in that moment or I was just going to go home upset and I couldn't do that to my mother. She was waiting for me, waiting to comfort me because she just knew that I would break down in front of her.

Tonight was different. My mom deserved to be her own person and not there at every emotional curve ball thrown in my direction. She's been through so much in her life and this would only add to her ever growing amount of stress. "Are you sure you want to hear about this? It could be a while before I feel better about stuff." I asked, standing in the middle of the sidewalk.

"I'm sure. Come on."

**Kenny**

I led her to the hotel room I was staying in for the duration of my stay in Jacksonville. She stepped inside and looked around cautiously. There was a sadness about her that just screamed at me. Kicking my shoes off by my bags, I moved to sit down in the only arm chair in the room.

Karina took her shoes off and placed them neatly by the door. Her bare feet padded across the room to sit down on the edge of the coffee table. It was the same place Cody had sat down earlier on in the day.

"I'm an idiot. I shouldn't have even gone there tonight. I'm just a sucker for punishment." She said, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her thighs.

"You're not an idiot. There was nothing wrong with wanting to see who you're father was and ask the questions you had."

I could hear her phone vibrate against the wood of the table. She reached for the object, scanning the contents of the obvious text message and then typed a quick reply. She turned her phone upside down and placed it on the floor next to her. "Sorry, it was my mom checking on me."

"No need to apologize for that. She has every right to check on you."

"Tell me, have you always been into anime?" She said, changing the subject.

Her question caught me off guard. The sadness on her face was replaced by a smile. A smile I enjoyed seeing. She reached up to pull the band from her hair and her long waves fell down over her shoulders. "Yeah, got into it young. What about you?" I answered, curious as to what her answer would be.

"I'm a fan, though I haven't watched as long as you have; but I do have my favorites."

"Which are?"

She stood up quickly. Her fingers found the front of her zip up vest like top. Much to my surprise, Karina proceeded to pull the zipper down. There was a black tank top underneath that had a familiar figure on the front of it. Ichigo Kurosaki from the anime Bleach. Not only did she have a tattoo of Sephiroth's sword from Final Fantasy Seven, she was also an anime lover.

"Bleach huh? It's a nice choice. There are so many out there."

"Oh I know, I wish I had more time to try others out."

"I could always introduce you to some."

"That would be great."

Her smile grew brighter. Maybe Cody and Matt were right. Maybe we did have chemistry and the only way to know for sure was to overcome my fear of relationships. Getting to know her was a step in the right direction I'd say.

Karina stood up, her smile fading almost as quickly as it formed. I could tell that she was thinking about her father again. "You know, once you're done training me, you are going to have to get back to being excecutive vice president of AEW. You will be beyond busy, so whatever this friendship or partnership is will be gone."

"I disagree."

She sighed and turned away from me. I got up the chair and closed what little distance there was between us. Karina ran a hand through her long hair and collapse down on the edge of the bed. Just when I thought she was happy, the sadness returned. "I serious must be crazy. I have no idea why I feel so connected to you. I shouldn't, I barely know you."

"Rina…."

"It's fine. The men in my life don't stay around. I'm surprised Jayson has stuck around as long as he has."

I sat down beside her, listening to the words she had just spoken. "There is nothing wrong with you or how you're feeling. You're not the only one who feels a connection here." I said, placing a hand on top of hers. Brushing the pad of my thumb across the knuckles of her hand, I curled my other fingers around her palm.

"I should probably go."

Instead of letting her hand go when she asked, I pulled her closer to me. My arms wrapped around her tightly. Her body trembled and resisted at first. That's when I heard to first sobs. She had finally broken down, like expected she was trying to do alone. Sliding back until my back was resting on the pillows, I shifted her until she was between my legs and her head resting on my chest. "Shhh...it's okay. I promise I'm not going anywhere."


	12. Comfort

**A/N: A very positive reaction to the last chapter. Thank you for that. A special thanks goes to Guest, Krys Jericho, Wicforever and MamaChele81 for the wonderful reviews. Another special thanks goes to karenlovespunk, ChAoSVA757 and GoalDigger for becoming followers to this little story of mine. Onto number twelve, enjoy reading and let me know what you think.**

**Chapter 12:**

**Comfort**

**Kenny**

Her fingers clenched my shirt as she choked on another sob. I could feel her warm tears through the fabric of my shirt. This wasn't the first time someone had broken down in front of me. My dear friend Riho has had several breakdowns over the years; but this was different. I didn't know how to comfort Karina.

What she was going through was completely out of my area of expertise. All I could do was hold onto her and let her know that I was there. She shifted to push herself back up to a sitting position. The tears were still rolling down her face as she quickly wiped them away, streaking makeup across her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to completely break down like that in front of you." She said in a deeper tone than her usual voice.

"No need to apologize, I understand completely."

"You know, I didn't even bother asking what his name was. I guess I was too angry to think about something so simple."

"You have every right to be angry."

Karina continued to wipe stray tears away. Her makeup going along with it, though it really didn't matter. She was still beautiful without it. The more time I spent with her, the more my emotions began to spiral into something foreign to me. Maybe someday I'd figure it all out.

My phone began to ring loudly from the otherside of the room. She immediately closed her mouth from speaking. I got up reluctantly to see who would be calling me. Matt's name appeared on the screen. "I got to take this, it's Matt." I explained. She smiled and nodded her head slightly.

"Hello."

"Hey Kenny, are you busy?" Matt asked, with Nick chuckling in the background.

As if she could hear the question, Karina stood up and proceeded towards the door. "It's okay, I've got to get going anyway." She whispered but loud enough for me to be able to hear it. In the process of her telling me that, I answered Matt with a 'no' I'm not busy. Turns out they wanted to film stuff for the next 'Being The Elite' video. Hanging up the phone, I walked to her side. She had her shoes on and ready to leave, much to my disappointment.

"Fight For The Fallen is tomorrow night." I said, causing her to raise a questioning eyebrow at me.

"No training tomorrow. That's probably a good idea, my sides are a little raw from the ropes."

"Nice try; but training will still be happening. Your body has to get used to the ropes so there are no breaks until there are no more marks."

"Fair enough."

"Though it won't be as long of a session as today, I need to be at the arena early to help get everything in order. Also, wanted to know if you'd like to accompany me there and watch the show and learn what it is to be an AEW star."

She looked at me with a blank stare for a few seconds, then she took a step towards me. "I'd like that. However, I got something I want to ask you." She replied with a coy smile upon her face, which was the polar opposite of what I had seen just minutes prior.

"What's that?" I asked, curious as to what she wanted to ask.

"Will you teach me the Snap Dragon suplex?"

Her request caught me completely off guard. I honestly didn't expect her to ask me to teach her something new or one that was particularly dangerous. The snap dragon was a move that had to be perfectly executed each time or risk really hurting someone. "Why do you want to learn that?" I asked, mostly out of curiosity.

"It's a beautiful and devastating move. I think it would be perfect in my arsenal."

"We shall see, I'm going to have to think about it."

"Sure, of course."

A knock on the door, interrupted our conversation. I already knew who was there without even opening the door; but I did so anyway. Matt and Nick stood there with camera in hand, anxious to start filming a new episode. They greeted Karina warmly as I expected they would. "We didn't know you had company, Kenny." Nick snickered.

"I'm actually on my way out. I'll probably see you tomorrow. Have a good rest of the evening." She stated, snaking around them to exit the room entirely.

Matt and Nick gave me a look. It was one I've seen quite a few times over the last couple of weeks. I'm sure they had something to say about what they saw; but they opted to say nothing and just continue to give me that familiar look. "What?" I asked, having enough of the glance.

"She didn't have to leave. We could have added her in." Nick answered, pulling his hair back into a ponytail.

"I think she wanted to leave. It was probably for the best anyway. She was extremely upset."

"How did that go? Matt asked, changing the subject back onto the personal matter.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, running a hand over my face. The look on her face and the sounds of her cries echoed inside my head. How had she become such a big part of the things I thought about on a daily basis. "It didn't really go that well. She tried her best to not let it get to her. Eventually she broke down and I felt like I couldn't do anything to help."

"I think just by you being around has helped her. She seemed okay when she left." Nick commented.

"Maybe you're right."

**Karina**

Driving back to my house had me thinking about everything that's happened over the last couple of weeks. Oh what a rollercoaster ride it has been. Despite the fact that I just met my absentee father, I still found myself able to smile. I was pretty sure that had everything with Kenny.

He had showed me that I still loved wrestling and could have more than one thing that I enjoyed in life. He had encouraged me like no one ever has before and there were no words on how much I appreciated that.

Pulling into my driveway, my mother's and Jayson's cars were still parked there, which meant they had been waiting for me to come back. Letting out a soft sigh, I got out of the car and made my way up the front porch. Before I could even open that door, Hayley opened it for me.

"Are you okay?" She asked, pulling me into a swift embrace.

"I'm fine."

My mother and Jayson emerged from the living room. I gave them both a smile. "It didn't go very well. I didn't really let him talk much." I explained, thinking back to the short conversation I had with the man that claimed to be my father.

"I expected you to be upset; but here you are smiling and somewhat happy. What happened?" She countered with a question of her own.

"Let's just say someone was there for me at the right time. Oh and I want to put out an EP of covers to Spotify. I don't want our fans to think we broke up."

Jayson and Hayley looked at each other for a moment before directing their attention back on me. I supposed that they were all shocked by my behavior, which was fine. I didn't want to dwell on the negative things, when there were quite a few positives going in my life at the present moment. "Are you sure that you are okay?" Hayley asked, stepping to stand right beside me.

"I'm fine. I want to concentrate on the things that make me happy, is that so wrong?"

"No, there is nothing wrong with that, hunnie." My mom said, placing her hands on my face and kissed my forehead.

Her smile was more than enough for me to know that she understood. She walked out the front door and I was left with just Jayson and Hayley. The three of us sat in the living in silence. "What songs did you have in mind?" Jayson asked, breaking the long silence between us.

"I've got three in mind at the moment." I answered, reaching into the pocket of my jeans for my phone.

It was already 11:30 and I still had to get up early for training. Hayley was resting her head on Jayson's chest and it reminded me of when I was laying on Kenny's only an hour or so ago. It was beyond comforting and exactly what I needed at that moment. "We will start working on something soon. You've got training in the morning, don't ya?"

"I do."

"You worry about that right now, the music will come in time."

Tucking hair behind my ear, Hayley's eyes closed as she fell asleep in Jayson's arms. Those were just some of the things I missed being in a relationship. The comfort of another's embrace. He moved his head to kiss her brow lovingly. All I could do was smile and the moment between them. "You're right. I'm going to get some sleep. Feel free to just crash here if you don't want to wake her."

He smiled and gave a slight nod. I turned to walk up the stairs to my bedroom. My phone vibrated against the palm of my hand. Sitting the device down on my nightstand, I shifted to get changed into something I could sleep in. Crawling into bed, I reached for the device and the message in question.

A tug at my lips curved them into a smile as Kenny's name appeared in my inbox of text messages. Tapping my finger on the screen, the words were visible to my eyes. **_"I'm sorry, no training tomorrow. I've got an early meeting for the show."_**

**"_No worries, I totally understand." _**

On some level I was okay with no training; but on another level, I was disappointed. I wanted to get back in the ring. I wanted the spiraling adrenaline of telling a story through athletics and most importantly, I wanted to prove that it had been a mistake for WWE to release me all those years ago.

My phone once again vibrated. Opening the message, only this time is wasn't Kenny's name that was in my inbox. It was a name from a past, if I signed with AEW, I would eventually have to come face to face with. Adrain Neville or PAC he's known by in the indy scene.

**"**_**I've heard through the grapevine that you've been training to get back in the ring. Perhaps you would like me to help out with that."** _The message read.

I honestly didn't know if I should even respond to that. A few seconds later, another message from Kenny came. Immediately, I closed the first message and opened the second. **_"Do you still want to come to the show with me?"_** He asked.

**"_Of course."_** That was a no brainer answer. I wasn't missing it for any reason.

**"_Great! I'll pick you up around 4:30."_**

**"_I'll see you then."_**

He answered with a thumbs up emoji and the smile faded from my face when I realized I still had that unanswered message from Adrian. Ignoring it, I sat my phone back down on the nightstand and pulled the covers up to my neck. He had a lot of balls to be messaging me like nothing happened. When I do eventually see him again, I was sure that I'd be giving him a piece of my mind right to his face.


	13. The Contract

**A/N: I really appreciate all you readers. A shout out to Lunatic-Fringe'sAngel-LA15, BreakTheWalls and okaloosa for becoming followers. Another shout out to Leasha Ambrose and BreakTheWalls for all the wonderful reviews. Here we go, onto number thirteen. Happy reading and let me know what you think.**

****The lyrics in this chapter belong to me. I wrote them.****

**Chapter 13:**

**The Contract**

**Karina**

Waking the next morning, I felt less than thrilled. My body ached in ways I wasn't quite used to yet and my head was swirling with thoughts of the previous day. There was just so much going on and I had little time to sort it all out. My father's appearance hadn't been something I had expected; but I went anyway, despite all the doubts I had. Surprisingly enough, I stood my ground and didn't let him get what he wanted. Of course, Kenny had a hand in that courage found deep inside.

Tossing the covers off, I got out of bed. Stretching my sore muscles, I moved across the room and into the master bathroom. The reflection staring back at me was scary. Smeared makeup across the tops of my eyes and into my brows. Reaching for a washcloth, I dipped it into the warm running water and proceeded to wash my face.

"Kay, are you up yet?" Hayley said knocking on the bedroom door.

"Yeah! Come on in!" I answered back.

The door clicked open. Hayley soon made her appearance in the entryway of the bathroom. Her long chestnut hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail, much like my own hair was in. She had a curious look upon her face and I could tell that she wanted to talk about something. "You didn't talk much about what happened with your father. Are you sure that you're okay?" She finally asked, taking a couple steps back to let me out.

"I'm okay. To be honest, I think I needed to face him. There had always been this empty hole inside me, just wondering what he looked like. I needed an image to place there and I finally got that."

Hayley let out a soft sigh and sat down on the edge of my bed. Usually I could read her like a book; but today, there was something different about her that I just couldn't read. It was almost like she knew something that I didn't know about him. "Don't you have training today?" She asked, changing the subject.

"I was supposed to; but Kenny messaged me last night and said he had an early meeting to attend. No training for me today."

"You guys seem to be getting closer, is it still professional?"

"Don't know. I think right now, it is; but for me...I don't know...feelings I haven't felt in a long time are coming to the surface and I don't know how I feel about that yet."

Before Hayley could open her mouth to comment, Jayson appeared in the doorway of my bedroom. He was dressed in dark colored jeans and a light blue button up shirt. His dark hair was slicked back with gel. "I was wondering what was going on up here, shouldn't you be leaving for training?" He asked, leaning against the oak wood door frame.

"No training for me today. He had a meeting to attend to." I answered, grabbing a pair of cotton capri leggings in the color black and a white thin strapped cross top that flowed down mid-thigh from my closet. Two feathers wrapped around the sides of the fabric of the top in multi colors. It was probably one of favorite shirts I owned.

"I see, well then what are you going to do on a day off." He asked with a smug smile on his face.

"I'm going down to the studio to work on a new song." I answered, hopeful that they would take the hint and follow me.

The studio was in my basement. After moving into the house, I constructed the basement into a music studio and that's where our first album happened. We are self produced so there is no label to deal with. We have free reign on our music, which was nice and not so nice at the same time.

We unfortunately didn't make as much money self producing than those who had a record label. In my mind, that was fine. Money wasn't everything to me, though I understood where people came from when they asked for more money. Traveling is expensive, and I knew this from my time in the WWE.

"Oh! A new song? When did you have time to write lyrics?" Jayson asked, thrilled with my confession.

"I wrote them little pieces at a time over the last couple of weeks. Although, I still want to do a cover EP at some point."

"Alright, let's get to work."

Jayson turned away and started making his way down the stairs with Hayley in toe. I smiled, finally feeling the happiness take over despite all the chaos I've felt in the last twenty-four hours. They were my family and I wouldn't have it any other way.

**Kenny**

Sitting in meetings wasn't the finest part of my job; but they had to be done to create the great shows that were still yet to come. My mind wandered towards Karina. I wondered what she was doing in the absence of training. Though I was glad that I was going to see her a little later on, I still found myself thinking about her.

"Kenny, do you have any input for tonight's show?" Cody asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"I think if we all do our part, this will be a success. There absolutely nothing wrong with charity to get people talking. This cause is one that people seem to ignore." I answered, coming up with an answer on the fly.

"I agree with Kenny. This is a cause that is almost forgotten when it happens so often anymore." Matt added.

I mentally thanked Matt for inserting his comments, because my head just wasn't in the meeting. There was so much swirling there to concentrate on one single thing, which could be a problem for me later on when I had a match with one of Japan's biggest stars in Cima. If I wasn't careful, I could end up on the loosing end of the match.

Nick shifted his gaze towards me, studying me for a moment before returning to the papers in front of him. For some reason Megha Parekh, the Chief Legal Officer, was there. She oversaw all contracts and legal documents for the company. This meeting didn't really seem like a need for her presence.

"Alright, that's a wrap. Let's make this show a success." Cody said, standing up from the head of the table.

Everyone else stood up as well, dispersing just as quickly. Matt, Nick and I hung back, as per usual, so we could talk with Cody privately. Megha gathered her things and left the conference room and once she left, I opened my mouth to speak. "So what was up with Megha being here?" I asked curiously.

"Uh...she's working on a contract for a potential signee." Nick answered much too quickly for me not to notice. It was like they didn't want me to know who the signee was.

"It's nothing to worry about. We've got matches tonight to worry about." Matt said placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Right…"

I was confused at everyone's behaviour. They were being secretive and it was kind of pissing me off a little. Pulling my phone out of the pocket of my pants, I could see that it was already three. I had told Karina that I would pick her up around 4:30.

Cody had stepped out of the room and into the hall where we all stood. The four of us just stood in awkward silence until Nick made the first attempt at conversation. "Is Karina still coming tonight?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to pick her up in a little bit. I thought it was best to see a whole show from our perspective, just to be sure this is really what she wants to do."

"That's probably a good idea." Matt agreed.

Cody simply nodded his head in agreement and I left the group. They could keep their secrets, I had other things to take care of. Making my way to the parking garage, I found my rental. The lights flashed as I unlocked the doors. Sliding behind the wheel, it only took a few seconds to start the ignition and proceed to my destination.

It was going to take at least twenty minutes to get through the city traffic and get to her house, so I decided to flip through the stations on the radio. Hearing the word 'Celestial' I stopped scrolling and listened.

"We haven't heard anything new from them in quite some time. What's your thoughts, Jenna?" The radio DJ asked.

"Actually, they posted something on their official Instagram account today. It was a photo of them in the studio. My guess is that they are currently working hard on new material."

Hearing that only seemed to make me smile. I've watched her break down and cry in front of me less than twenty-four hours ago and knowing that she was putting her creativity to use was enjoyable to me. "On that note, let's play something from them and hope that sometime soon they will grace the radio with new music."

It was actually the first time I've heard her studio music, sure I've seen her live; but sometimes they sound completely different. However, this sounded the same. Familiar piano intro, crashing into a full band drive. Landon's voice was the first I heard, followed by Karina's. Their voices were less harsh in this song compared to most of the other ones I heard the first day I met her.

"_Drowning in a world of chaos_

_Searching for a sign_

_Where do I go from here?_

_A split in the path_

_Right or Left?_

_Dismal at best, not really understanding_

_Turning away_

_Only to see the small light."_

Continuing to listen to the words more clearly, I was beginning to understand the meaning behind them. The tears I'd seen that day at the memorial park became oh so very clear.

"_Artistic design_

_Turmoil within_

_Can't you see that I'm drowning_

_I suffocate, desperate for a breath_

_Drowning just for a single glance_

_A hope, that you'd be there on the other side"_

This song was for her brother. It tugged at my heart, probably more than it should; but the image of her that day burned inside my mind.

**Karina**

Walking up the basement stairs to the main level of the house, I realized that it was almost 4:30 and that Kenny would be here to pick me up shortly. The idea of seeing him brought a smile to my face and if I was honest with myself, the whole day has made me happy on one level or another.

"Karina, your ride is here!" Hayley yelled from upstairs.

Chuckling to myself, I finally got to the top of the stairs and inside the foyer was Kenny. He was dressed in khaki colored dress slacks and a navy blue dress shirt. It looked like he came straight from his meeting, which I didn't mind in the least. He looked really good dressed up.

"Ready to go?" He asked, casually looking around at my decor on the walls.

"Yeah, is how I'm dressed okay?" I asked, remembering that I hadn't changed out of my prior clothes. The only thing I changed was my hair.

"Of course, you'll be backstage the whole time."

Smiling once again, I grabbed my handbag and said my goodbyes to Hayley and Jayson before stepping outside. Kenny's hand found my lower back as he urged me forward towards his rental for the day. He backed down the driveway and onto the road. There was a silence between us that was oddly comfortable. I was comfortable with his, despite my history with men.

Looking down at my phone, another message came through from a name I'd like to ignore and probably should ignore. Adrian. I don't know why I opened the message; but I did. **_"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by the ignore. I am genuinely trying to help you succeed."_**

**"_I already have someone helping me. I don't need you."_**

I was trying hard to not let it ruin my day. Stuffing my phone into my handbag, I looked out the window at the city. Jacksonville was absolutely gorgeous no matter what time of day it was. It will forever be my home. "So did you do anything fun on your day off from training?" Kenny asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Actually, yeah. I started working on a new song. We are also going to try and release a covers EP sometime soon. I've always wanted to do that."

"That's great! I'm sure there are alot of people eager to hear it."

"Hopefully, I love putting smiles on people's faces. That was one of the reasons I got into wrestling to begin with. The music came later; but equally satisfying."

The rest of the trip was spent with odd chats about random things of interest. When he pulled into the parking garage of the arena, butterflies started to flutter in my stomach. I had no idea why. I wasn't having a match. Getting out of the car, I could see talent pulling bags behind them towards the entrance.

The familiarity of it was settling it and once again, I found myself smiling. Kenny pulled his bag behind him as we walked towards the entrance. He opened the door for me, allowing me inside first.

"Finally!" Matt and Nick greeted the second we got to Kenny's private locker-room.

"Finally what?" He countered with a question.

"Cody's looking for you." Nick said, grinning slyly.

"He knew that I was going to pick her up and traffic was a bitch."

He turned to sit his bag down and looked at me. I could tell there was something he wanted to say; but he refrained from doing so. The door opened once again. Cody stood at the entryway with a black folder in his hands. He was dressed in a gray suit and a purplish-blue tie. It matched perfectly with his bleached hair. A curl of my own hair fell from its confines as I turned my head to face him fully.

"Now that you're here, we can start." Cody said, stepping the rest of the way inside the room. The door automatically closing behind him.

"Start what?" Kenny asked, obviously confused as to what his friend was referring to.

Nick and Matt had smiles on their faces, so whatever was going on was something good. Cody handed Kenny the black folder. He opened it and then closed it just as quickly. His eyes went wide as he looked directly as his friends and business partners. "This is what you were working on with Megha today, wasn't it? You sly devils."

He handed the folder back to Cody and turned to look directly at me. A smile appeared on his lips and I immediately got nervous all over again. "Karina Dawson, this is an official AEW talent contract. We are offering it to you in hopes of bringing your talent to the company." Cody said handing me the black folder.

"What?" I said, in absolute shock.

The black folder was made out of leather and when I opened it, there sat the contract he spoke of. My name was in big bold letters and my eyes instantly started to burn with pending tears. Kenny came to my side and placed a gentle hand on my back. "You don't have to do anything now. Tonight is about you seeing what we do with your own eyes and then you can decide." He said softly, putting the butterflies at ease. At least for the time being.


	14. Moving Forward

**A/N: My oh my do I love all of you readers. I do apologize for not posting a new chapter last weekend, I had the flu unfortunately. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it, so onto number fourteen. Let me know what you think.**

****A special thanks goes to BreakTheWalls,Wicforever and Leasha Ambrose for the wonderful reviews.**

**Another special thanks goes to martham73, jigga51 and IanAlphaAxel for becoming followers.****

****Also another note, I have a spotify playlist for this budding story. So if you wanted to listen to all the music that has inspired every scene in this story, check it out. It's called OWA, or copy this link- playlist/5YOExraMZbdC2rxSOJ4iM8****

**Chapter 14:**

**Moving Forward**

**Kenny**

Karina's eyes were wide for a moment. There was obviously something going on inside her head. To be honest, I feel like they jumped the gun a little bit. She's had three full days of training. Yes, she remembered a lot more than originally thought; but that didn't mean that she was ready to step back into the ring fully.

"Isn't this a little soon?" She asked, clenching the folder tighter in her hands.

"We have every confidence that you will be just fine when the time is right. Kenny knows exactly what he's doing." Cody assured, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She looked from him to Nick and Matt, looking for some other kind of confirmation. They grinned wide and give a simple nod of the head in her direction. Turning her head once more, she was now faced in my direction. Her ocean blue eyes were staring directly into my own. A smile tugged at my lips, giving her a silent reassurance.

Hugging the folder tightly against her chest, she left the room. I let out a sigh, already knowing that she was overwhelmed. Cody understood that the second she left the room. "I think we may have overshot this a little bit." He stated aloud.

"Kenny, you know her better than we do. What do you think she's going to do?" Matt asked, running a hand over the top of his head.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I don't know her that well yet. Maybe a little time to think is all she needs."

I sat down next to my bag. Despite what just happened, I needed to focus on tonight's match against Cima. However, my visitors never left. They stood in the same spot as if they wanted to say something else. "Is there something else you wanted to say?" I asked, cutting straight to the chase.

"We've never seen you behave like this before. We are just concerned." Nick admitted.

"No need for concern. I'm more worried about her. I don't know what the hell this is. This isn't fucking normal. I have no idea how to act around her. She's the first woman to ever catch my attention like this."

Matt and Cody smiled to themselves and took steps closer to me. "Just be yourself. She obviously likes you just how you are, otherwise, she would have bolted by now." Matt continued to reassure me that I wasn't crazy. Thankfully, I had friends like them to keep me sane in this chaotic world of wrestling.

**Karina**

Making my way down the hall of the building, I kept going back to the offer from Cody and The Bucks. How was I going to make that kind of decision? It just seemed like something Kenny couldn't help me with this time. Nor was it something Hayley or Jayson could help me with. Perhaps there wasn't anyone that could help me with this.

Turning the corner, I could see more people rushing to get everything ready for the show. Leaning against a large equipment case, I pulled the folder away from my chest and looked at it hard. The burning sensation in my eyes returned. I continued to fight away the tears just as someone's shadow was in view on the floor.

"Are you okay?" A warm female voice asked.

I looked up from the floor to meet the gaze of a very highly attractive woman. She was a little bit taller than me. Her eyes were a subtle brown color and her hair was a light brown with blonde highlights throughout. There was something about her that put me at ease fairly quickly. Maybe it was her smile.

"Uh...yeah, just got a lot on my mind." I answered honestly.

"Totally understand. You are Karina Dawson, right?"

"Yes, let me guess...you know me from my failed run in WWE?"

She let out a chuckle, tossing her long hair back over her shoulder. I sat the folder down behind me and turned to face her fully. She held up a perfectly manicured hand to stop me from speaking again. "Absolutely not. Your run wasn't a failure. They never utilized talent. I'm familiar with your music actually, along with your wrestling career."

"Oh...thank you."

"I'm Britt Baker."

She extended the same perfectly manicured hand out for me to shake. I accepted. Once the formalities were over, she hoisted herself up to sit on the edge of the equipment case. Her eyes came in contract with the black folder resting beside her. "So this is what's got your head swirling?"

"Yeah, among other things; but mostly that. I don't think I'm ready just yet. I've only been training to get back in the ring for only three days. Not a whole lot of time, you know…"

"I gotcha. However, I don't think Cody would offer this to you without being fully confident in your abilities. Plus, you have probably the best trainer in the world backing you."

Just the mere thought of Kenny got my stomach doing flutters. He had been a constant since the day I met him. It was weird to actually think that it's only been a little over a month since then. "Call me crazy; but I have a feeling that you are starting to feel things outside of the friendship level for him." Britt commented.

"Maybe, I don't know. I've been through so much in that department and to be honest I don't know if I can go through a relationship again."

"Don't be ridiculous." Another voice interrupted.

This time it was familiar and male. We both turned to see Jon Moxley standing a few feet away. He had obviously heard some of our conversation. He of all people would understand what I had gone through with Adrian. There was an odd expression on his face that screamed annoyance. "Now isn't the time for your pessimism, Jon. You of all people should understand what I had gone through." I argued.

"If you let every single hardship define you, then you will be damaged forever. You really shouldn't let one guy judge how you move forward. Not all guys are assholes." Jon said, inching closer to where we were positioned.

"You don't even like Kenny, so why are you trying to encourage me?"

"Look, I have respect for the man; but as an athlete, it's a different story. Even I can see how happy he makes you and I'm a fucking dumbass when it comes to that kind of stuff."

I couldn't answer, because he was right. The things Adrian did really shouldn't keep me from moving on with my life; but that dread of never finding peace inside those wounds scared me beyond any comprehension. Jon curled a hand around the back of my head, pulling me closer to him. "I'm sorry for the things he did, someone should have done something sooner and I on some level blame myself because I knew about it and did nothing."

"Don't, I don't blame anyone. It's the past and we can't change it."

He gently pressed his lips to my forehead and walked away. Jon's never been one to show emotion; but I could tell that he had been holding that in for quite some time and I appreciated that he was willing to admit that to me.

Britt smiled at me, even she understood the respect or even friendship between Jon and I. We came from the same place, we were wronged by that very same place. A smiled curved my lips.

"I think you've got your answer. Maybe someday soon we will be standing in that ring together."

"I look forward to it."

She gave my shoulder and gentle squeeze in passing. Picking up the folder, I turned to walk back towards Kenny's locker-room. Outside the room, Adam Page was talking to him. It seemed to be for advice but I couldn't hear anything. It didn't take him long to notice me standing a few feet away.

Adam turned to see what he was looking at. A different kind of smile appeared on his face, it was almost teasing. "Is this her?" He asked.

"Yup, this is Karina Dawson." Kenny introduced.

"Hello." I said, raising my hand up in a wave.

He extended his hand out to me and I quickly accepted the handshake. My eyes met his briefly before finding the comfort of Kenny's. I clenched tighter onto the folder in my other hand. "I've heard good things about you. Unfortunately, I haven't seen your work before; but I've heard a song or two from your band." Adam said, creating a conversation with me.

"No worries. I'm working on new music, so hopefully everyone will get to hear something soon."

"I've got to get ready for my match, I'll see you guys after the show."

Adam walked away, leaving Kenny and I alone once again. He stepped aside to allow me into the room. His ring gear for the night was hanging up ready to be put on. Whoever put the gear together had done a fantastic job. The vest had one black wing on the back, ode to Sephiroth of Final Fantasy Seven.

I was beginning to realize that we had more in common than I originally thought. My stomach started to flutter again. There was no reason for me to be nervous around him; but here I was, acting like a teenager with her first crush. It was quite embarrassing to say the least. However, this was very different. He was different and I liked that about him, more than I first realized.

"After some thinking and some advice given by Britt Baker and surprisingly Jon Moxley, I've decided that I am going to sign this." I announced.

"Wait! Jon Moxley!" He shouted, ignoring what I had just said.

"You know, it's quite adorable when you get all pissed off at the mere mention of his name."

Kenny quickly closed the distance between us. I could feel his warm breath on my neck. He stood several inches above me, giving me full view of his shirtless chest. "Sorry, he really does piss me off. There is just something about him that rubs me the wrong way." He admitted.

"You aren't the first person to say that about him. Just focus on tonight's match and we will talk about me signing later." I offered.

"No, we can talk now. I'm glad you were convinced to sign. I highly doubt you'll regret it."

"I mean you are stuck working with me for the next three years."

He reached out to tuck a stray chunk of my hair behind my ear. "Somehow, I don't find myself minding that at all." With those words spoken, I knew that my feelings for him were only going to continue to grow. Clearing his throat, he took steps back away from me.

Opening the folder, I took the pen in my hand and proceeded to sign my name on all the lines required. "I'm going to go give this to Cody. You focus on the match and I'll see you later." I said turning to walk out of the locker room.

**Kenny**

It seemed like she was gone for a long period of time and my match was next in the show. Walking towards the curtain, she stood by Cody and the monitors. Her hair was no longer in a ponytail, it was down beautifully across her back. Matt and Nick were showing her things with the equipment. That image alone brought a smile to my face.

"Alright Kenny, let's kill it out there." Cody encouraged.

Karina stepped away from the monitors and came towards me. She had a smile on her face that only seemed to light up the room we were all standing in. I felt her hand take mine, giving it a squeeze. "Good luck. I'll be watching." She said with a wink of her eye at the end of the statement.

The air was thick with humidity. It was well over 84 degrees and the sweat was already forming. Once my music hit, I forced back all other thoughts and focused solely on the match ahead. Knowing that Karina was watching made it all worth it. Of course, seeing all the screaming fans made it worth it too and I wouldn't be where I am today without each and every one of them.

I poured my heart out into that match, every bump and aerial tactic was for those people watching around the world and inside that hot as hell building. After it was over, I poured a bottle of cold water on the top of my head. It was the best I could do before passing out from the combination of exhaustion and the heat.

Once I made my way back to the backstage area, a set of claps could be heard from everyone that stood around. Brandi approached me, pulling me to the side. "Hey so I'm going to go out there and announce our latest signee. The band you were trying to get permission to use as an entrance song for Karina came back yesterday. They were very thrilled with the idea and sent me the rights to the perfect song."

"Really? I honestly didn't think it would come back at all. She will be so excited, I know how much she loves them."

"Just a personal note from me, she's a winner for sure."

She continued on without letting me respond to her comment. Karina was the next person to approach me. I wondered if she knew that she was being introduced as the newest signee onto the AEW roster. "You are one hell of a wrestler." She said, handing me a towel to wipe the sweat away from my face.

"Thank you. You're up next."

"I know. This is exciting, hopefully these fans will accept me."

"Karina you're up!" Cody shouted.

I nudged her forwards towards the curtain just as Brandi's music hit. Matt, Nick, Cody, and myself leaned in to watch the screens. The fans were loud and full of anticipation, wondering just what the Chief Brand Officer was going to say.

"As you know, I've been trying to find the best female talent in the world. It just so happens that we have found another. You may know her...she's from right here in Jacksonville. Karina Dawson!" Brandi announced.

A dark eerie intro started to play before diving into a hard rock breakdown. Karina immediately recognized the song and a smile curved her lips the moment she walked up those stairs to stand on the stage. She shook Brandi's hand and took the microphone from her hand. The fans recognized her as well, which was a good sign because they were loud for her. 'Rina' chants started to erupt and another smile was brought out of her.

"Sounds like you know me." She laughed.

Brandi returned to watch the screens with us. She eyed me, giving me a thumbs up quietly. It amazed me just how quickly my friends came to like Karina as if she had always been around.

"I've been hearing rumblings of a company that's been bringing back the awesome matches of old. So, I dusted my boots off and came looking for an opportunity to shine once more. I want to make women's wrestling mean something! I want you fans to enjoy your time in those seats! As far as what I've witnessed here tonight, this is FREAKING WRESTLING! So enjoy the rest of the show and you'll be seeing me real soon."

Her music played for her exit. With a wink, she made her way back to where we all were located. Cody immediately praised her on her quick witted promo, which was actually pretty damn good considering she didn't have a whole lot of time to prepare. "Thank you for giving me that time. It felt amazing to be out there in front fans again."

"You're welcome." Brandi answered, pulling her into a short embrace.

"How did you know that Stitched Up Heart was my favorite, let alone the song 'Finally Free'? I idolize the singer very much."

"That was all Kenny. He sent out the request on Thursday and we got a response the next day. He jumped through a bunch of hurdles to get a quick response." Cody answered her question.

Karina immediately turned to look directly at me. There was confusion written all over her face. She ran a hand through her long hair as she took steps to close the distance between us. "How did you know? I'm pretty sure I never mentioned that to you."

"You didn't. I actually asked Hayley about it. She was very helpful."

"Why do this for me? This goes beyond the training…"

"You deserved more."

Her mouth closed immediately. I could tell that she didn't expect me to say that; but I sure as hell didn't expect what came next. She reached to pull my head down to her level and pressed her lips onto mine. Her lips were soft and so inviting. Instinctively, I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

Once we separated, I leaned my forehead against hers. "Thank you, you have no idea how much that means to me." She whispered, forgetting that we had a crowd of people surrounding us.

"On that note, let's end this show with a bang." Nick said, interrupting the intimacy of the moment between Karina and I.

She stepped back, giving us a little bit of space. I'm sure there will be a talk about that kiss at some point; but now wasn't the time. We still had a job to do and that was to give the fans the best main event possible.


	15. Aftermath

**A/N: A special thanks goes to BreakTheWalls for the wonderful review and the support of this little story of mine. Also thanks to all of you who have taken the time to read this. Onto number fifteen, let me know what you think.**

**** The lyrics in this chapter belong to In This Moment, I do not own them.****

**Chapter 15:**

**Aftermath**

**Karina**

To be honest, I had no idea why I kissed him. The overwhelming urge to do so had come over me in that moment. He had done so much without ever asking for anything in return. The feeling of his eyes on me as we watched the main event through the backstage screens made heat rise to my cheeks.

My head swirled with a million different thoughts. The fact that I kissed him probably changed how he viewed me and that thought stung a little. Perhaps I was just paranoid; but there was a little nagging voice in the back of my mind, telling me that I had just fucked up a perfectly good thing.

"This is crazy good." I commented, breaking the awkward silence that had cloaked the three remaining people in the group.

"You've seen Cody wrestle before, right?" Brandi asked.

"A match or two, I was still relatively new in WWE back then. I heard he requested his release shortly after I made it to the main shows." I answered, trying not to dive too deep into my past. There were still some wounds there that have yet to heal.

She had a smile upon her face. It was an adoring smile, one that you would see when someone you love is doing something they love. She was proud of her husband and I kind of envied that about her. I wondered if there would ever be someone to look at me with that same adoring smile.

The feeling of my phone vibrate against my thigh, snapped me out of my inner thoughts. Reaching into the side pocket of my leggings, I pulled the device out. A message was waiting for me. Hesitation washed over me. Was it Adrian again? Why did I even care? He had caused me a lot of mental and physical anguish during our time together, so I didn't understand why he was even bothering to try.

Sliding my finger up the screen, I tapped on the mailbox icon and opened the waiting message. **_"So you signed...I suppose we will be seeing each other soon enough."_ **The message read and I could only stare at the words before swallowing hard. I hadn't realized just how long I had been staring at my phone, when Kenny stood up from the chair he had been sitting. The end of the main had happened and I missed it entirely.

"It's time." Brandi announced.

"Time for what?" I asked, tucking my phone back into the pocket where it belonged.

"We are going out to give donation money for the charity." He answered, brushing his arm against mine in passing.

It really was a good thing they were doing. Victims of gun violence rarely get any compensation for their losses. This charity made me proud that I had signed a contract with them for the next three years. Taking a few steps back, I let them do their thing. In those few moments, I felt out of place for entirely no reason other than my own insecurities.

"Are you going to stay here or are you going back to the locker-room?" Kenny asked with a questioning glance.

"It's probably best if I just get an uber to take me home."

He frowned, clearly upset about what came out of my mouth. He urged Brandi to keep going out, leaving him behind. Somehow, I expected him to want the space considering I had just crossed a line that I don't think either one of us was ready to cross. "Are you okay?" He asked, when it was just the two of us.

"Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you, that was a line I shouldn't have crossed." I pleaded.

He held a hand up, immediately I closed my mouth. A smile appeared followed by a light hearted laugh. Was he really laughing at my turmoil? Before he could say a single word, he was called to the ring. "Hold that thought, I promise we will talk after."

And just like that, I was alone. Turning, I started towards his private locker-room when my handbag currently rested. On my way there, I could see Britt Baker speaking to another of the female talent. I believe her name was Nyla Rose. "Glad to see that you look some of what I said to heart." Britt said.

"Yes, thank you. I needed that push." I answered, stopping to speak with them formalily.

"Welcome to AEW." Nyla said, holding her hand out for me to shake.

"Thank you." I answered, accepting the gesture.

There was obviously some tension in the handshake. Her welcome was nowhere near as comforting as Britt's was. I brushed it off as being skeptical of me; but there was this nagging feeling like it was something else entirely, so I continued on my way to the locker-room.

The next person I saw was Jon Moxley. He was probably the last person I wanted to see. As it turned out, it was unavoidable. He blocked my path and refused to move. "What is up with you? You look like someone just ripped your heart out and fed it to the wolves." He commented.

"It's nothing, now can I get to the locker-room so I can get my stuff please."

"Not a chance. What happened? Do I need to kick someone's ass?"

"What is it with you? Are my protector or something? We've barely spoke two words to each other the entire time we were in WWE and now all of a sudden you want to look out for me. I don't fucking understand."

The amusement faded from his face and was replaced with a serious expression. The humor was gone. He reached up to rub the sides of his face, trying to come up with the right words to say. I was spiralling and if I didn't get away soon, the panic would take over. The last time one of these attacks happened was at Fyter Fest and Jayson was the one to bring me out of it. This time he wasn't there.

"I understand your skepticism. I'm trying to right my past wrongdoings and some of those involved you. I knew about the things Adrian did and said nothing. I also knew of managements dislike of you and didn't give you a heads up so you could change things around. You could of had a chance to succeed."

"It didn't matter. WWE wasn't for me and the release was ultimately welcomed, even if it was months down the road."

"So what happened? You seemed happy out there when you were announced as the new signee."

He wasn't wrong. I had been happy out there and I still was. It was things personally that had me rattled and considering Jon didn't like Kenny at all, I seriously doubted he wanted to hear what I was feeling. "I am happy about that, it's just other personal things that are catching up to me."

"Okay, I won't push. I can already tell that you are on the edge."

"Thank you. Tell Kenny, if you see him, that I went home."

"Karina, what are you doing?

I didn't say another word. Slipping around him, I got my handbag from Kenny's locker-room and called for an uber to take me home. This wasn't like me to just up and leave without telling anyone; but if I didn't, then I would have an attack in front of everyone and I couldn't handle the embarrassment of it.

**Kenny**

When I walked back to the backstage area, Karina was nowhere to be seen. I hoped that she went to my locker-room. The look on her face and her pleading apology for kissing me made me think otherwise. Cody was talking to all of us about tonight being a success and I felt the same as far as the show went.

"Hey, where is Karina?" Nick asked, wondering where his new found turquoise haired friend went off too.

"Probably wandering the arena meeting the other female talent." Matt suggested.

If only that was the case, Brandi placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. She understood my silence. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jon Moxley leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed. "Is there something I can help you with?" I asked, moving closer to him until I felt hands against my chest pushing me back. It was Nick and Matt.

"She's not here." He said flatly.

"What do you mean she's not here?" Nick asked, preventing me from letting my rage get the better of me.

"She went home. It was probably a good thing too. She was clearly on the edge about something."

Mentally cursing, I really didn't like the fact that this guy was telling me that she left. The whole situation wasn't sitting well with me at all. The smug look on his face only pissed me off more. Why Cody brought him into AEW was anyone's guess; but I sure as hell hated it. Brandi curled her bottom lip in, as if she was feeling the emotional cyclone raging inside me.

I raised my hands up in defeat and stormed off down the hallway. I'm sure there was a conversation taking place without me; but I honestly didn't give a damn. She needed to know that there was no reason to feel like she crossed a line, nor should she feel like there was a problem between us.

Once I got back to my locker-room, I quickly got changed into a pair of light blue jersey material workout shorts and a plain white t-shirt. Zipping the bag up swiftly, I stepped out of the room only to run into Matt and Nick. "Hey, don't let him get to you like this. He's trying to get a reaction out of you." Nick said, as if I needed a child lecture.

"I just need to go." I answered, trying to keep my cool. It wasn't their fault that everything had fallen apart.

They knew me long enough to know that when I was in this state of mind that it was just best to let me go. The drive to her house was filled with what ifs. Too many questions without any answers. Would she even talk to me? That was the real question.

The sight of her car in the driveway next to another one got even more concerned. She obviously wasn't alone; but it wasn't a familiar vehicle either. Slowly pulling in behind hers, I swallowed the lump in my throat that had been forming the whole drive here. There was no going back now, this had to be said.

Getting out of the car, I made my way to the front door and gently knocked. After a few seconds, a woman answered. It wasn't Karina; but there were some similarities. Her facial structure was almost identical, except she had brown eyes and long auburn hair that was braided to the side. "Hello, can I help you?" She asked. Her voice was a little higher pitched than Karina's.

"Yeah...I was looking for Karina." I answered, discreetly rubbing my palms against the sides of my shorts.

"Come inside."

She stepped aside and allowed me inside. The foyer was probably the most I've seen of the house; but it was beautiful nonetheless. It almost made me feel like I was little underdressed to be there. "You must be Kenny." She stated, turning to face me with a grin on her face.

"Yeah, I am."

"I'm Rachel, Karina's mother."

Mother! Oh hell, this was probably the last person I needed to see after tonight's events. I'm sure Karina had already told her what happened and here I was face to face with her. My stomach tightened into a knot and it left me feeling sick. "She speaks quite fondly of you and I'm glad I can finally put a face to her words."

"It's been a pleasure working with her."

"She's downstairs in the studio, I'll show you the way."

I quietly followed her through the kitchen, which was furnished in whites and blacks. The island had a black granite countertop with two bar stools resting against the frame. Turning to the left there was a large door, made of solid cherry wood. Rachel turning the handle and I could immediately hear music coming from the lower level.

She pointed down the stairs, indicating that she was down there and that she wasn't going to follow me down. I descended slowly. Her voice joined the music and it made my heart started to pound against my chest. It really was a beautiful thing to hear.

_" I've been driving through these nights_

_This road reminding me of all I am_

_As time drags on, these windows fade_

_Reality starts slipping from my mind_

_All I know is this all fades, the second that I'm by your side_

_Can this be real, can this be fate."_

Her eyes were closed, pouring her heart into words. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, all I could do was watch her. She reached her hands up, swaying her body, involving everything into the song she was singing. It actually surprised me that she hadn't noticed me standing there yet; but I wasn't complaining. I could finally watch her work.

_"Just say you'll be there for me_

_Please say that you'll be there_

_Just say that you'll be my side_

_When the storm subsides."_

She held out the last note and her eyes finally opened, catching mine immediately. Her hands dropped to her sides. I cautiously approached her. The studio was constructed nicely. Every piece of equipment you could think of was there at her disposal. "What are you doing here?" She asked, taking a drink from a bottle of water resting on one of the many shelves in the space.

"You left. You told Moxley of all people to tell me you did so." I answered, letting her know that little part of what happened stung."

"I wasn't going to stick around to embarrass myself further. Everyone deserved more than my fuck ups."

"Is this all about that kiss? Because you shouldn't feel like you did something wrong."

Taking another drink from the bottle of water, she leaned back against the wall. She was still dressed in the clothes from earlier in the night. I wanted to tell her that everything was fine; but the words wouldn't form. I've never been good with words. I've always been more of an action kind of guy. "You've been wonderful. Taking the time to get me back in ring shape, even going to get permission to use a Stitched Up Heart song for my entrance music. No guy has ever been this nice and I got caught up in the moment."

"Again, you did nothing wrong."

"So what now? I've crossed that friendship line…"

"You did; but I wasn't complaining."

She looked up from the floor and met my eyes. There was a silence for a few seconds until she finally let out a laugh. It made me smile to see her smile come to life. I reached for her, wrapping my arms around her. Resting my cheek against the top of her head, "So was that one of your songs?"

"No, I covered it, or at least I'm trying to. I made a few errors during that practice."

"It was still amazing regardless."

"Thank you, I'm sorry for bailing out tonight."

"All is forgiven. I'll see you tomorrow for training, right?"

Another smile curved her lips and she nodded in agreement. She moved to ascend the stairs that would lead us back to the main floor of the house. I followed closely behind. Her mother was sitting in the kitchen drinking a cup of tea from the looks of the liquid. She said nothing as we passed through on the way towards the front door.

The night air was welcoming. Karina closed the door behind her, following me to my car. "I appreciate you coming out here." She said, stopping at the edge where the sidewalk met the driveway.

"I wasn't going to let you keep thinking you did something wrong when you didn't."

"Thanks for that."

"On a personal note, that was one hell of a kiss though."

"Goodnight." She said with a laugh and blush to her cheeks.

She shook her head turning to walk away; but I reached for her hand to stop her. Her body twisted in my direction swiftly and I cupped the back of her head, pressing my lips against hers. I could feel her tense. However, it didn't take long for her to relax. Her lips just melted against mine perfectly, tasting the chapstick that had glossed them earlier.

Breaking away hesitantly, I gave her hand a gentle squeeze before letting her go entirely. "Goodnight." I told her in a whisper across her neck. Kissing her probably wasn't the best idea; but the urge to do so was overwhelming.

"I'll uh...see you tomorrow." She answered, taking steps back. The blush still on her cheeks.

Getting into my car, I started the ignition and slowly backed down the driveway. She stayed in the same spot until I was no longer visible. The taste of her lips was still on mine as I licked them. Karina Dawson was addicting and I knew that I was in deep trouble.


	16. Head Games

**A/N: Another big thanks goes to BreakTheWalls for the continuous support for this story. Also thanks goes to all the readers as well, without you this wouldn't happen. Onto number sixteen, sorry it's a short one, let me know what you think.**

**Chapter 16:**

**Head Games**

**Karina**

A month has passed by since Fight For The Fallen took place. I finished my training with Kenny two weeks ago, which was somewhat of a relief to me. It was now August 19th. Only twelve days away from All Out, and was kind of a big deal. I was finally going to be stepping into the ring officially as a participate in the Casino Battle Royal on the Buy In.

In those weeks, my mind continued to go back to the kisses I've shared with Kenny. After coming to my house to assure me that I had done nothing wrong after kissing him, he proceeded to kiss me. It confused me; but I had been professional and pushed it to the back of my mind. Neither one of us spoke about it, despite me wanting to.

"Kay, it's getting so close now. Are you nervous about getting in the ring again?" Hayley asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

We were sitting in our favorite cafe drinking coffee after going for our morning run, which had become a daily thing since my training ended. I think she wanted me to be ready and I appreciated the concern; but it was overbearing sometimes. "A little bit; but you know, I do well under pressure." I answered with a smile, taking a sip from the cup of coffee in my hand.

"I've been meaning to ask...have you talking to Kenny at all since your training ended?"

"Just a text here and there, nothing major. He's in the process of moving from Japan back to Canada, so I'm sure he's been occupied. He doesn't need to talk to me every day. We aren't a thing no matter what you think."

Hayley choked on her coffee spitting it across the table. I blinked several times, watching her laugh at my response. I took a napkin that was placed next to me to wipe her coffee off my face. There were several glances in our direction. Rolling my eyes, I got up from my seat and started towards the door.

She caught up quickly, "I'm sorry. I don't know you why keep denying the attraction between you two. There is nothing wrong with being with someone." She said, hooking her arm through mine.

"You know why I don't do relationships or have you forgotten what happened in the last one."

"Of course I haven't forgotten, how could I? That doesn't mean that you should be alone for the rest of your life. All men aren't like how Adrian was."

I knew that. Kenny was not Adrian; but the pain of those memories have come flooding back to me more and more every time I think I could move forward. Not to mention, he had sent me a couple text messages knowing that I have signed with the same company as him. Kenny didn't need to be drug down by the mess that was inevitably going to come full circle. "Okay, I won't push anymore; but at least think about it. There is obviously a connection between you two."

"Maybe; but instead of trying to play matchmaker with me, why don't you concentrate on your own wedding."

Yeah, that happened in those weeks of training. Jayson finally grew a set of balls and asked her to marry him. It really had been a sweet moment. I was happy for them. Yet, at the same time, I felt even more alone. They were going to be joined and would eventually start a family of their own. Where would that leave me and Celestial?

Pulling back into my driveway, I could see Jayson outside talking to someone. From the back, he seemed familiar and when he turned to face me, I swear my heart stopped beating for a moment. Landon Hale. My former vocal partner was on my porch.

"What are you doing here?" I asked calmly, getting out of my car.

"Talking about making a return to the band." He answered, fully turning in my direction.

"Why? You said that you couldn't compete with my love for wrestling. By the way, I signed with AEW and will be wrestling again."

Landon ran a hand over the top of his clean shaven head. He had acquired two new tattoos on the sides of his head in tribal markings in his absence. Hayley quickly came to her fiance's side. Narrowing my eyes, I didn't trust that he wouldn't just up and leave when things didn't go his way. "True, I did say that. However, I've had time to think about things. I actually don't want to sing anymore. I know that Nick left, so allow me to take his place. You can have full vocal duties."

"I guess there is no harm and seeing where it goes. Come on in." I said, walking towards the front door of my house.

The second the door opened, I could hear the chime of my phone getting a text message. My stomach started to flutter, wondering if it was Kenny. Hayley wasn't wrong when she mentioned the attraction between us. I wasn't even going to lie about it, because it was there. The hesitation was lingering longer than I would have liked.

The three of them already went down to the studio, I stayed behind pulling my phone out of my back pocket. **_"We should probably meet face to face before All Out. I don't want things to be tense."_** The message read, my stomach immediately stopped fluttering. The emotion was replaced with that of panic.

**"_It's not necessary. I won't be speaking to you. I want my career to succeed this time around. I'm not going to let you ruin it."_**

**"_If you won't come to me, then I'll come to you."_**

The moment the message came in, there was a loud knock at the door. I knew the others wouldn't hear it being in the studio and there were sound proof walls to drown out all outside noises.

Sitting my phone down on the kitchen island, I cautiously made my way to the front door. My palms became clammy as my fingers curled around the knob of the door. Pulling it open, Adrian stood on the porch with his hands tucked into the pockets of his dark colored jeans. His long dark brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun behind his head. He also chose to where an AEW logo t-shirt.

"There is no reason for you to be here." I insisted.

"I beg to differ. We have to be able to coexist backstage."

"You won't need to worry about me causing issues for you. I plan to avoid you all together."

His eyes narrowed the second the words left my mouth. The glance only lasted a few seconds before his eyes lightened up. "Alright, I won't push you to talk to me. I just wanted to tell you that I've had time to think about the past and about all the things I've done...they were wrong on so many levels. It really is good to see you."

I watched him walk away. There was a darkness in his eyes and I just couldn't let myself believe a thing he told me. Leaning back against the wall, I slid down to the floor and pulled my knees up against my chest. Burning tears came faster than I could even think about crying. Hayley quickly was at my side, seeing Adrian pull away from the house. "What the hell was he doing here?" She snapped, pulling me into her embrace.

"Playing his games again…" I managed to choke out.

I never wanted to see someone so badly in my life; but in that moment, I wanted to see Kenny. It pained me to think about the fact that I couldn't. I wanted to wrestle again and I would put my past behind me to live that life again. Quickly wiping the tears away, I stood up from the floor. "I can't let him affect me like this. I'm stronger than that. Let's go work on some music." I stated, clenching my hands into fists at my sides as I walked towards the studio in my basement.

I knew, deep down, that Adrain wasn't finished playing the mind games with me. That had always been his strong suit in keeping me in line when we were together and now that we weren't, he saw the fact that we work for the same company as a way to manipulate me once again. Despite what he might think, I've grown as a person over the last year since our separation. I wasn't going to relapse. I refused to be the broken woman I had been back then, too much was on the line.


	17. Beautiful Stranger

**A/N: Thank you to all readers/followers/reviewers. Onto number seventeen, let me know what you think.**

****Lyrics in this chapter belongs to me. I wrote these lyrics specifically for this story.****

**Chapter 17:**

**Beautiful Stranger**

**Karina**

Surprisingly enough, everything with Landon had worked out. At least for now. We got so much accomplished in the last few days. We recorded the first single as a full band in months and it felt great. No one questioned what the words meant; but I'm pretty sure Hayley already knew the meaning behind them. I wasn't ashamed of them, in fact, I was proud of them.

"Karina." Landon called from the top of the studio stairs.

"Yeah." I answered, turning from the entryway of the kitchen and tucking a chunk of my newly dyed hair behind my hair.

"You've grown. I've never seen you sing with such passion before. This single is going to be killer and I'm sure our fans will love it too."

"Thank you. I appreciate the compliment."

We walked into the kitchen together just as Jayson hung up with whoever he was talking to on the phone. His smile lit up the room and Hayley laced her fingers through his. "What's got you two all happy about?" I asked, sitting down on a barstool.

"We just gave the single to SiriusXM Octane and they are going to play it tomorrow for all the world to hear." He announced.

"Are you serious?" I questioned, feeling my heart start to pound against my chest.

"That is fucking crazy. Our music has never been played on there before." Landon commented, making me realize just how big of a deal this was for all of us as a band.

My phone started to ring, interrupting the occasion for celebration; but when I saw the name on the screen, I was perfectly okay with the interruption. Matt Jackson, one of Kenny's best friends and one of the Executive Vice-Presidents of AEW. Raising my finger up, I leapt off the barstool and walked into the foyer to answer the phone.

"Karina, long time no chat." He greeted.

"Yes, it has been a while. What's up?"

"How quickly can you get a flight to Winnipeg?"

I was silent for a moment, thinking about why he would need me to come out there. I also knew that Kenny had just moved from Japan to Winnipeg, so there was a chance I could see him if I went. "I don't know, why?" I asked, trying to get more information out of him. There had to be a reason he was asking this of me.

"We are kind of having a little get together at Kenny's new house. You know All Out is just around the corner, so we thought a pre-celebration was needed tomorrow night. I wanted to extend an invitation to you."

"I appreciate the invitation and I'll see what I can do about a flight. Will there be someone to pick me up at the airport or do I need to have a rental ready for me?"

"I'll personally pick you up, just let me know what time you'll land."

"Okay, I'll let you know."

Hanging up, I made my way back into the kitchen. The three of them looked at me with questioning glances. A smile tugged at my lips as I could feel the heat in my cheeks. Hayley was the first to sit down next to me as I started to scroll through flights to Winnipeg. "So what was that call about?" She asked in a teasing manner.

"I got to get a flight to Winnipeg today to be there by tomorrow night." I answered, still scrolling flights on my phone.

"Why? Will you get to see the man those lyrics are about?"

"You are mean." I said, pushing her away playfully.

**Kenny**

"So what was that about?" I asked Matt, as he walked back into the room.

"Oh that was Dana, she needed to ask me something about the kids." He answered convincingly.

However, I knew him. That was a blatant lie. Matt was the worst liar in the world. He was up to something and I was bound and determined to figure out what it was. By the next day, I still wasn't any closer to figuring him out.

I switched on the stereo system in the living room. The second it turned on, I could hear a blistering guitar. Chuckling to myself, I realized Cody had probably been the last person to use it. "Damnit Cody." I cursed, turning the volume down a little bit.

As the song ended, the DJ started to speak. "So, we at the moment where we debut a brand new song for all you. This is actually a new band for Octane. They are called Celestial and are from Jacksonville, Florida. This is their new single called 'Alive'." The guy said, although I didn't catch at name. I was too preoccupied by the fact that Karina's music was going to be playing on mainstream radio.

"I've been searching

For the one thing that could make me feel…

Alive!"

The last word was let out in a long scream. Her band went immediately into a catchy melody of drums and guitars. Sitting down on the couch, I closed my eyes and envisioned her singing the words.

"Insecurities have suffocated me long enough

It's time to fight

Fight to say I'm okay

To say that no one will ever push me down

No one will ever keep me down

I'm alive!

Today and tomorrow

I look in the mirror and embrace the scars

I'm alive!

Tonight and always."

Hearing her voice made my heart start to beat rapidly. I haven't seen her since the training ended two weeks prior. After spending a long period of time with her, she's grown into someone important to me. The feeling of her lips on mine was something I'd love to feel again. Perhaps, someday it would happen again; but I was a person that let things happen as they were supposed to.

"Walking ahead

I look forward to what life brings us

You've given me a reason to fight

You've given me more than you'll ever know

And nothing can ever take that away

I'm alive!

Today and tomorrow

I look in the mirror and embrace the scars

I'm alive!

Tonight and always."

The song ended the same way as it begun. The passion behind her words left a satisfied feeling within me. Whether the words were about me or not, it didn't really matter. I was happy that she was willing to fight for her own happiness.

**Karina**

Walking into the airport after landing in Winnipeg, I immediately went to the luggage carousel to retrieve my bag. Thankfully, it was one of the first ones to come through. Of course, it wasn't hard to miss either. It was bright teal with silver glitter specks in the paint. Picking it up from the belt, I lifted up the handle. Pulling it behind me as I walked, I searched for Matt.

My phone vibrated in my hand. **_"Heard your song on the radio today. I enjoyed it very much." _**The message read. A smile curled my lips, mentally thrilled that Kenny had just sent me a message after days of radio silence.

"Karina!" A familiar voice shouted.

I turned to see Matt waving a hand. Smiling, I proceeded in his direction. His dark eyes looked me over, noticing all the differences about me since the last time he had seen me. My hair was no longer aquamarine. It was now Indigo and I added a new tattoo to my collection. Script in Spanish across my left forearm. Sé valiente Sé fuerte, Sé tu (Be fearless, Be strong, Be you)

"You've changed some things. It looks good on you."

"Thank you."

Once we got into the car, I pulled my phone back out to respond to Kenny's message. **_"Thank you. It means a lot."_** I typed and hit the send button. The scenery was so intriguing. This was actually the first time I've ever been inside Canada. Even when I was a part of WWE, I was never used enough to go with the travel crews unless it was in the United States. The sun was setting and pretty soon I wasn't going to be able to see the scenery any longer.

"I've been meaning to talk with you." Matt said, breaking the silence that had grown between us.

"About?"

"Kenny."

"What about him?"

The mention of his name got me thinking about him. I could give a guess as to what he wanted to talk about. He had been one of the few people that were standing at the curtain when I kissed Kenny. "You kissed him and you can't tell me that was a spur of the moment thing either."

"I know and I'm not going to deny it. He's someone I didn't expect to enter my life and now I don't want him to leave it. I guess...I'm just afraid that's what he will do if I admit that I care more than a friend."

"Just be honest with him. He doesn't do well with liars."

I didn't plan on lying about anything. There was no point in doing so. The rest of the drive was spent in silence and it only got my head spinning with thoughts. Good and bad ones. If there was ever a shot at moving on with my life, this was it. Matt, Nick, Cody, Brandi and Kenny had taken a chance on me and I didn't want to disappoint them in any way.

Matt pulled in behind several other vehicles. The home in my view wasn't quite what I had expected. It was beautiful; but wasn't flashy in anyway. There were three guys standing outside on the porch, smoking cigars. I recognized one of the being Cody.

"Welcome Karina." Cody greeted, pulling me into a tight hug.

The smell of alcohol was evident on his breath. Brandi stood behind him with a smile on her face. She immediately moved to give me a hug as well. The two other guys standing with Cody was Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels of SoCal Uncensored. "He's inside." Brandi whispered.

I opened the door to see Nick, Adam and Scorpio sitting at the kitchen table talking about things they expected to happen at All Out. Kenny was nowhere to be seen; but that didn't leave me immune from visual. "Karina!." Nick shouted.

"Hey." I answered, slowly making my way towards the small group.

After greeting each one of them individually, I turned slightly and caught sight of Kenny. He was standing at the entryway of the kitchen. His wild hair was styled to stay out of his eyes. Those eyes that just seemed to captivate me more and more each time I saw them. He was dressed in a pair of jersey material shorts and a black retro street fighter t-shirt. "I didn't expect to see you." He said softly.

"Matt invited me yesterday. I got a flight early this morning and here I am." I answered.

The way he was looking at me only made it seem like he didn't want me there at all. Perhaps Matt should have asked before inviting me. Now I was there unwelcomed. Shifting to the other side of the room, I made my way back outside just as the rest of the group made their way back inside.

I was alone on the porch staring at the night sky. The stars were bright and they were calming, except now I could feel a set of eyes on me from behind. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me to say. I just didn't expect to see you tonight." Kenny voice sounded.

"I can tell. I'm sorry for just showing up, despite Matt's invitation."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm happy that you are here. I was just caught a little off guard. At first, I didn't think it was you. You changed your hair."

Turning around to face him completely, he was already inches away from me. My heart was pounding to the point I could hear it inside my own ears. He didn't need to touch me to get the butterflies to flutter in my stomach. "Maybe I should have greeted you more formally. How about this? Welcome beautiful stranger…"


	18. BTE?

**A/N: A special thanks goes to BreakTheWalls, Wicforever and MamaChele81 for the wonderful reviews and amazing support you've shown this story. Another special thanks goes to nrkay for becoming a follower. I also want to thank all you readers. Onto number eighteen, let me know what you think.**

****Lyrics in this chapter belongs to me. I wrote them for this story.****

**Chapter 18:**

**BTE?**

**Kenny**

The words were out of my mouth and her face lit up. The blue of her eyes sparkled under the night sky and it only seemed to make her even more beautiful. She had indeed changed her hair. It was no longer the teal color I was used to seeing; but the indigo suited her just as good. There was script tattooed to inside of her left arm. The words were in Spanish and were read as "Be fearless, Be strong, Be you.", which was perfect for her.

"Are you okay?" I asked, hoping that my earlier rudeness hadn't upset her.

"Of course." She answered, leaning back against the railing.

"Why don't you come back inside and join us in conversation?"

"Lead the way."

I opened the front door for her and she stepped inside. Cody was in the living room messing with the stereo again. Adam, Scorpio, Frankie, and Christopher were sitting at the kitchen table playing a game of cards. Brandi, Matt and Nick were talking about new potential signees they had their eyes on.

Nick pulled out his phone and began to film. We had agreed that some of what happened tonight would be put into an episode of 'Being The Elite'. It was nice to have all of them together in one place. It had been far too long since we had a get together like this. I mean, AEW was our brain child and everything we do goes to make it what it is.

"Woah! Did they just mention Celestial on this station?" Cody shouted, alerting everyone in the house to his comment.

That comment directed all eyes onto Karina, who was standing next to me. No one knew of the song that had made it to mainstream radio stations, except for me. I had heard earlier on in the day. "Yeah, they probably did. I heard the new song earlier today." I answered, rubbing her back for a moment.

"Is it on?" Adam asked, coming into the room.

"Should be soon, they mentioned it would be in the line up." Cody retorted, sitting down next to his wife on the couch.

It wasn't long before every single one of us was in the living room, sitting in places on the floor or leaning against the wall. They all were waiting for what I had already heard. It was wonderful to see them treat her with such respect. There was a nervous expression across her face, so I took her hand into mine and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Karina looked up and stared directly at me. She gave me a forced smile. It faded just as quickly as it had formed. The song changed and the song everyone had been waiting for came onto the speakers.

The familiar words were sung and I found myself loving it even more the second time. Cody tapped his fingers to his knee. Everyone else's eyes went wide and despite the volume, I could hear Karina hum the words in her throat. She loved her own music and knew that her fans would love it too.

"Karina...I'm speechless. You have an incredible voice." Christopher Daniels complimented.

"Thank you."

"Would you sing for us now?" Scorpio asked, giving a wide grin smile.

"Yes, please. I'd love to hear your voice live again." Brandi pleaded.

She let go of my hand and took a step forward. "Does anyone have an acoustic guitar? I could give you all a preview of another new song." Karina asked, giving everyone some hope that they'd get to hear her sing right in front of them, in my living room no less.

"Yes! I still have that one from last weeks BTE episode." Cody said, jumping up from the couch.

Brandi laughed at his enthusiasm. He quickly left the room. Nick, Matt and Adam pulled me to the kitchen. Karina was approached by Brandi. I turned to face them, giving them my full attention. "You can't hide it anymore. You care for her. It's so obvious now." Matt accused.

"I'm not hiding anything." I answered, ignoring the second part of his accusation.

"Look, we all like her. Brandi really does, which is weird considering she doesn't like most people. I'm thinking that we make her an official member of The Elite. Think about it, there has never been a female in The Elite before."

"You all agreed on this? Cody too?" I asked.

"It was Cody's idea to begin with. He really wants to make her a star, not that she needs any help with that." Nick answered.

"Alright, we could give it a try."

Cody returned with the guitar in his hands. The four of us returned to the living room to see him hand the instrument to Karina. Her fingers strummed against the strings once, quickly turning it to her liking. Somehow, I felt like she needed this kind of attention. Perhaps it would help her through some of her other problems.

I remembered the day I invited her into the ring. The passion that had filled her eyes then was nothing compared to what I could see now; however, it didn't come without some disconnect. She had anxiety and I assume it had to do with things that happened to her in the past. I'm sure part of it was her biological father's absence and her previous relationship with PAC, whether she actually told me that or not.

"Okay, this song will most likely be the next single released. It's called 'Ignite'."

**Karina**

My fingers plucked at the strings, moving them in the correct notes. It was weird to see them all giving me their undivided attention. It felt good, warming me straight to the core and if I was honest with myself-I had to thank Kenny for most of this. He was the one person who linked me with all of them.

"You walked into a room

I saw the look on your face

Tell me?

Did you notice that I was nervous?

Today was a new start

A refrain from the past.

A past that will always hover

A whisper at the back of my mind."

I could feel all eyes on me and that comforted me in progressing with the song further. A smile tugged at my lips, remembering why I wrote these lyrics in the first place. The reason was standing across the room with his blue eyes ever so watchful of me. There was a past that I would have to face eventually; but I was confident that I would overcome the pain if he was in my life.

"Emotion boiling to the surface

It's so hard to keep it a secret

But the way you look at me

Ignites a fire deep within

Pull me close

Let me hear your heartbeat

Kiss me

Let me feel your feelings

Touch me

Let me know if you feel the same."

The rest of the song just flew by and when it was over, a burning sensation stung the corner of my eyes. Brandi was the first to approach me, kneeling before me and took my hands into her own. There was comfort in her gaze and I appreciated that more than she'd ever know. This wasn't an easy song to bear my soul too, simply because of the meaning behind it. "You are one hell of a singer and one hell of an athlete. We can't wait to show the world exactly what you can do in that ring."

"She's right. There is no limit to what you can achieve with AEW backing you." Cody added, standing up from the couch.

"Or the Elite, which is why we want to formally ask you a question." Matt said, looking around the room.

Nick was filming once again. Were they going to use my performance as part of their new episode? I stood up, pulling Brandi up with me. The group took steps closer towards me. "What question?" I replied, curious as to what they were going to ask me.

"We would like to extend the offer to become the first female member of The Elite."

"Are you serious?" I gasped, opening my eyes wide in surprise.

"Oh yeah, we are serious." Kenny finally said, extending his hand out to me.

A playful smile appeared on his face, which was somewhat hidden from the camera. Lifting my hand from my side, I hesitated for a second. There was a concern that I was being pushed far too quickly; but at the same time, I had something to prove to the world.

I accepted the handshake and knew that everything was going to change from that day forward. Nick quit filming, tucking his phone back into the pocket of his jeans. Matt squeezed in to bring me into a tight hug. "You are perfect for him." He whispered in my ear just before he let go.

**Kenny**

The group was starting to disperse, leaving for the evening and pretty soon it was just Matt, Nick, Karina and I left in the house. The Bucks were busy editing the video footage from tonight. Karina slipped outside, thinking no one was looking. She had been acting different ever since Matt had hugged her after accepting the offer to join The Elite.

"Are you alright?" I asked, coming out to the porch with her.

"Yeah, just needed a moment alone. A lot happened all at once tonight." She answered.

The night breeze blew through her hair, shifting it around her back. I closed the distance between us, leaning against the railing right next to her. There were so many things going through my mind and most of those things were questions. "I just want to thank you...for everything you've done for me since I met you." She said, expressing gratitude.

"You're welcome."

"You're song was beautiful tonight."

"Thank you, I had some inspiration."

This woman was going to be the death of me. I wanted to kiss her again so badly; but I also didn't want to break her heart. Relationships were not my strong-suit. My mind was screaming for me to not act on my emotions. My heart was pushing me towards her. She turned her head to face me fully. The moonlight captured her beauty perfectly. "Did Matt tell you something? You looked upset when you came out here." I asked, trying to get her to talk to me with the hopes that I would get the urge to kiss her to go away.

"He just welcomed me to The Elite. I just don't want to let you guys down."

"Why would you think that?"

"I haven't had a match yet. You've invested so much time into me and what if I don't succeed like you hoped."

My hand immediate went to cup the side of her face, forcing her to look right into my eyes. She reached up to curl her fingers around my palm, pulling my hand away. Her concern was a legitimate one and one that a lot of athletes had. There was no reason for her to doubt herself and I had to show her that her doubt wasn't necessary.

She moved to walk away towards the front door. I twisted my hand to grab her wrist and pulled her back towards me. "You will be successful and those fans will love you, just like the fans of your music. I have no doubt that they will get behind you all the way, the same way that I believe in you."

"How can you be so sure?"

"You will make them feel something. Whether it be your aerial techniques or your fighting spirit, they will connect. You've already made me connect and feel something."

Her hesitation faded and she relaxed against me. I wrapped my arms around her, kissing the top of her head. It just felt so right to hold her. Looking up, I could see Matt and Nick looking on from the front door. The both had smiles on their faces and most importantly, approval. "So where are you staying tonight?" I asked softly, not wanting to ruin the moment.

"I got a hotel room at the same place Matt and Nick are staying. I also got a plane to catch in the morning. Another studio session is required to work on more new songs." She answered, taking a step back out of my arms.

"Don't be a stranger. You can call me just to talk, you know."

"I know."

Nick and Matt came outside, asking if Karina was ready to head back to the hotel. She nodded and proceeded to follow them down the front steps. All I could do was watch and regret that I hadn't kissed her goodbye this time. The positive to all of this was that she was an official member of The Elite, which meant I would see her more often.


	19. Family

**A/N: A special thanks goes to BreakTheWalls for the wonderful review and yogaratw607 for becoming a follower. I appreciate all of you readers. Onto number nineteen, let me know what you think.**

**Chapter 19:**

**Family**

**Karina**

Being back at home felt indifferent to me. I had felt so comfortable around everyone at the party and I hadn't felt that way in a long time. Wiping the counter of stray coffee droplets, I turned to look out the window above the sink. The rain was coming down hard as the storm rolled in from the south. Today wasn't going to be very productive at all and had I known the weather was going to suck, I would have tried to stay a little longer in Canada.

"Karina!" My mother called from the foyer. She must have just let herself in with her key.

"In the kitchen!" I shouted back.

It wasn't long before she appeared in the room with my step-father in tow. Henry Kensington, the man who practically raised my brother and I since we were five. He outstretched his arms, waiting for me to enter them. I smiled and did just that. It had been several months since I've seen him. He worked overseas quite a bit; but he always made sure to come see me when he's home. "I hear you are doing quite well for yourself young lady." He commented.

"Eh, maybe a little." I answered with a light hearted laugh.

"How about we go get some lunch and catch up?" He offered.

Before I could open my mouth to accept the offer, there was a loud pounding on my front door. My brows furrowed in confusion. I knew that Jayson and Hayley weren't going to be there today. They had a meeting with the owner of the place they were renting for their wedding reception and Landon was out of town with his girlfriend.

Walking across the foyer, I opened the door to see a police officer standing there. He was probably five foot ten or eleven with dark brown hair and probably the darkest brown eyes I had ever seen. "Are you Karina Dawson?" He asked formally.

"I am."

"I regret to inform you, that your father has passed away."

"Wait! What?"

I couldn't believe it. I had only seen him once, so how was it possible for a police officer to know I was his daughter. My mom and Step-Dad came into the foyer with me. I took a couple steps back, placing a hand against my stomach. My heart sunk without knowing a reason why. There was no relationship between us and I hadn't given him a chance to really form one, which was going to be a regret of mine for the rest of my life. "What's going on?" My mom asked.

"David Lewis has passed away, I assume you are Karina's mother." The police officer explained yet again.

"I am. How?"

Now I had a name that I had been too stubborn not to ask for. My father's name was David Lewis. Burning tears made my vision blurry. I could feel Henry's arm wrap around me. My mom stood in shock as she was trying to comprehend the thought. The officer opened his mouth to speak. "A house fire. There is more. He left behind a daughter and you, Karina, are her only living relative. Her mother also died in the fire."

"I have a sister?"

"You do."

He waved to the second officer standing by their vehicle. He opened the backseat door and a girl got out. She was no older than seventeen years old. Dark brown hair and the same ocean blue eyes that my father and I shared. She was wearing light colored distressed skinny jeans and a black crop top. An umbrella was sheltering her from the rain as she made her way to my front porch. "This is Shay Lewis."

"Hello, Shay. I'm Karina." I greeted, trying hard not to cry in front of her.

"Let's get you inside and get you some dry clothes." My mother said wrapping an arm around the frightened teenager.

"We will be in touch." The officer said, before taking his leave.

I closed the door, turning to face my step-father. He had no idea what to do with the situation that presented itself to us as a family. I had a sense of duty and because I was her only living relative, there was no way I was going to let her go into the system. Pulling my phone out from my back pocket, I quickly opened my inbox and proceeded to type a new message. **_"I could really use a friend right now. So much has happened in the last fifteen minutes that I feel like I could just explode."_** I sent it to Kenny.

Shay was looking around in the living room. My mom had wrapped her into the fleece blanket that had cloaked the back of the couch. "I'm sorry for your loss." I said, trying to get a conversation going with her.

"Thank you. My mom was a wonderful person. She looked a lot like your mom." Shay answered, moving to sit down on the edge of the oversized chair in the far corner of the room.

"Oh? My mom is a wonderful person too. She's been different since Haden passed away."

"Haden?"

"He was my twin brother."

Shay looked disappointed with the news. I walked further into the room and picked up a framed photo from the mantle over the fireplace. Handing her the photo, she brushed her thumb along the photo. "He had dad's eyes too." She commented.

"Yes, he did. We didn't know our father. He never made an attempt to know us. It wasn't until about a month ago did he finally try to know me."

"I didn't have much of a relationship with him either. He was always in a hospital of some kind. It was pretty much just mom and me my whole life."

I could understand exactly what she was feeling. There was no greater bond than a mother and daughter. She handed the photo back to me and all I could do was stare at it. He would have loved to know this girl. He was always about family. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she pulled her knees up closer to her chest.

Instinct took over and I immediately sat down next to her, wrapping my arms around her. This couldn't be easy for her. She didn't know me. All I could do was be there if she needed comfort.

**Kenny**

Reading Karina's message, it got me worried about her. Thankfully, I was in Jacksonville already for a meeting with Tony Khan. Sitting in the meeting, my mind was not focused on what was being talked about. It was on her. Something was off and I could feel deep down in my gut. "Moxley is out. He has MRSA in his arm that developed while he was in Japan. Does anyone have a replacement in mind?" Cody stated.

I was pissed off with the news. I felt like Jon had been reckless knowing what our match was going to be. It was a money maker and he blew it, now we were scrambling to find a decent replacement. They were tossing out names left and right. None of seemed like good options. It wasn't until Nick and Matt cryptically suggested a name that got my blood boiling. PAC.

"That's perfect!" Tony said excitedly, he knew nothing of the past he had with Karina. Of course, no one did and I had a feeling that it would come to light sooner rather than later.

"What do you think, Kenny? Is that a good enough replacement for you?" Cody asked.

"I believe so."

The meeting was over a few minutes after they decided my new opponent at All Out. I walked out of the room, holding my phone in my hand. I immediately replied to Karina's message, **_"I'm in Jacksonville, would you like me to come over later?"_** It wasn't long before her answer came back. **_"Sure, my mom is making dinner. How about 7:30?"_**

**"_That sounds great. See you then."_**

So I was going to be eating dinner with her mother as well, I suppose that I should probably dress nicely and not in my usual getup of workout shorts and a t-shirt. Nick and Matt were in the hall chasing me down. "Why are you in such a hurry?" Nick asked, catching up to me.

"Sorry, Karina seems a little distraught. I'm going to go see her." I answered, which only put a smile on their faces.

"I don't know why you keep hesitating with her. She obviously cares a great deal for you and we all know you care for her, so what's the problem?"

"Just drop it, okay. If it happens, it happens. I'm not going to force anything along, now if you'll excuse me."

I took my leave and headed straight back to my hotel room. There was a lot on my mind and now I had to focus on a new adversary. One that had a past with Karina and I'm sure she wouldn't like it at all. Hopefully, she'd tell me what that past was before the match happened. If there was anyone who could help me prepare for him, it was her.

Quickly getting into my back, I dug out a pair of jeans that had no holes in them and a brown polo shirt. Putting gel into my hair, I made sure that it was stiff enough to not get into my eyes during the dinner.

**Karina**

Shay stood in the empty spare room upstairs. The only things in there were a full bed and a cherry wood dresser. It felt empty and I couldn't imagine what was going through her mind in that moment. She had just lost her mother, everything she owned and found out that she had a half-sister that she knew nothing about all in a matter of days. "I'll take you shopping for clothes and things tomorrow." I said, when she turned to look back at me.

"Why are you being so nice?" She questioned.

"Regardless of how things played out in lives, you are still blood to me. I'm not going to let you go through the system. You can stay here and finish school. If you want to enroll in a public school or want to do it online, either one is perfectly fine." I answered as honestly as I could.

She sat down on the edge of the bed, running a hand through her long chocolate colored hair. I moved across the room to sit down next to her. "There is no rush on these things, okay. One step at a time."

"Thank you."

"Come on, it's dinner time."

I allowed her to go ahead of me. As we made our way down the spiral stairs, there was a knock at the front door. She went into the kitchen as I moved into the foyer to open the door. Kenny stood there with a smile on his face. He stepped inside, searching my face for the answers to his silent questions. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"My father died. I assume it happened a few days ago, otherwise they wouldn't have brought his teenage daughter to me."

"What?"

"Yeah, I got a half-sister."

"Jesus...I know you didn't know your dad; but that can't be an easy thing to hear."

No, it wasn't easy to hear. I had to be strong for someone else this time around. Shay had no one to look out for her. Kenny wrapped his arms around me tightly and I immediately felt the release of the worries I had been holding onto. "Karina, are you coming?" My mother called from the kitchen.

"Yeah…"

We walked across the foyer and into the kitchen. Henry was sitting at the head of the dark oak rectangular table. Shay was sitting at the other end. My mother was busy putting food onto a plate for her husband. The three of them looked up to see me step into the room with Kenny by my side. "Welcome Kenny, it's nice to see you again." My mother greeted.

"Hello, Rachel." He answered, lifting his hand up to wave.

A smile tugged at my lips as we sat down next to each other. Shay's eyes lingered on him before returning to the food in front of her. It was a few minutes later when my step-dad opened his mouth to end the silence. "Karina, I heard your new song made to Sirius XM radio." He stated.

"It did. I'm very proud of what we accomplished with it."

"What song?" Shay asked, taking a drink from her glass of lemonade.

"Karina is the lead singer of the band Celestial. One of their songs finally got onto the big time radio stations."

Her eyes went wide for a moment, then she looked directly at me. She was looking for a confirmation to what he had told her. Kenny's hand found mine under the table. He gave it a reassuring squeeze. This new role of mine was a hard adjustment. I had no idea how to be a big sister. Haden had been the older one by a few minutes. "Yeah, it's a group effort though. I couldn't have done it without the other members of the band."

I could tell that she was holding in her emotions. The grieving stage hadn't yet hit her and if she's anything like me, it will be just a waiting game to see when the breakdown happens. When Haden died, I couldn't come to terms with it until a month after the accident happened. That's when my whole world crumbled. "And you are? Her boyfriend?" Shay asked nonchalantly.

Kenny choked on his diet coke. My mom tried hard not to laugh at the turn of the conversation. The heat found its way to my cheeks almost instantly. I gently patted his back to get him to stop coughing. "No, he's a friend from my other career."

"You have two jobs?"

"Yup, I'm also a wrestler for AEW. My first match takes place this Saturday at their Pay-Per-View, All Out."

"If you want, she can bring you along to see first hand what she does." Kenny offered.

I was stunned to hear his words. Shay smiled for the first time since she's been in my home. After dinner was over, she stayed in the kitchen to help my mom do the dishes. The girl was well mannered, which was something you didn't see too often anymore in teenagers of this generation.

Kenny followed me out onto my back porch. It was covered and there was a small waterfall at the far right corner with LED lights in the bottom of the basin. I enjoyed hearing it at night, so soothing and it just allowed me to relax on some of the most stressful days of my life. The night air was humid from the earlier rain and I knew it wasn't over just yet. "Thank you for coming here today."

"You're welcome. I can understand why you felt overwhelmed. I can't imagine what you're thinking right now."

"To be honest, all I care about is Shay. The poor girl has been through enough. Apparently our father wasn't there for her either, which doesn't surprise me in the least. I don't want her to fall into the system, so I'll be fighting for her to stay with me permanently."

"That's probably a good thing. She's going to need some guiding and you're the perfect person for it."

I loved that he had faith in me; but there were so many insecurities that just wanted to come to the surface. Sitting down on the outdoor sofa, I curled my legs close to my backside. Kenny moved to sit down next to me. We really hadn't talked about what my part will be in The Elite or what my role in the Casino Battle Royal would be. "Is it going to be okay, if she does want to come with me Saturday?" I asked, hoping that he had something that would get him in trouble later on.

"Absolutely, she's your family. There will be no questions asked."

"Again, thank you for coming out here. You being here made me feel a little bit better about the situation."

He slid over closer and wrapped an arm around me, pulling me in. I rested my head against his chest. "You're welcome. I'm glad I could help." He answered. Pushing myself away to look up at him, my head reached out to touch the side of his face. The texture of his facial hair was course against the palm of my hand.

"Rina...there is something I need to tell you."

I immediately removed my hand from his face, letting it rest on my lap. Perhaps, I read too much into whatever was developing between us. It was wrong of me to think that maybe we would be more than friends one day. "Jon had to be taken out of our match. He got MRSA while in Japan." He explained.

"What! That's awful. Now what? Do you not have a match now?"

"No, they announced a replacement."

"Who?"

"It's PAC."

My body froze instantly. Why on earth would they choose him? Was this some kind of joke that wasn't in the least bit funny? Clenching my hands into fists on my lap, Kenny took notice of it without any time passing. "Karina, I know there is history there between you two. I just want to understand it."

"I...I can't…"

My chest hurt and I was fighting for a breath. It felt like everything was spinning and closing in around me. Kenny called my name and I could no longer hear it clearly. The thought of PAC in the ring with him was not something I wanted to envision. Adrian knew me all too well and he'd use anything he could to get back at me.

Kenny quickly got on his knees in front of me, taking my hands into his. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I felt his thumb brush across my knuckles. "Karina, take a breath. Listen to my voice, you don't have to tell me anything."

"You should probably stay away from me. I'm only going to bring you down."

"I'm not going to do that. I think we both know that too much has happened to let this fall apart now."

Another sob escaped my mouth. He leaned up capturing my mouth with his. The familiar feeling of his lips against mine was all I needed to come out of the anxiety attack. He pulled me up to stand, still locked in his kiss. When we separated, a smile was on both of our faces. "No matter what happened between the two of you in the past, he won't get a chance to repeat it. You are safe with us, as part of The Elite."


	20. Road to All Out

A/N: Thanks goes to BreakTheWalls for the wonderful review and for your constant support. Also thanks to all who have taken the time to read this. Onto number twenty, let me know what you think.

Chapter 20:

Road To All Out

Kenny

Her smile faded and was replaced with an expression of fear. She looked almost terrified to hear those words. The Elite was a close unit and nothing would get passed us as long as we stayed true to our values. Right now, in my mind, she was valuable to me. I wasn't going to give up on her, no matter what she said. There had to be a way to get through those walls that she had erected around herself.

"I'd like to think that's the truth. Adrian is relentless, always has been. He took advantage of my insecurities, molding me into the perfect vision of an obedient girlfriend. I put up with so much, the physical abuse was nothing compared to the mental abuse."

He had abused her! I had my suspicions about what had happened between them. No wonder she had anxiety as bad as she did. No wonder she always felt like she wasn't good enough. He had embedded that into her mind. If I hadn't liked the man before, I really didn't now.

She deserved so much more than what had been offered in the past. Closing her eyes, she shied away from my gaze and took a few steps back away from me. "I've got so much to worry about now. If Adrian wasn't enough, now I'm worried that my return to the ring will be a complete failure and on top of that...I have a seventeen year old sister who has no one left. I'm all she's got...I don't know how to handle all of this at once…"

Sobs of despair echoed inside my head. This time she wasn't holding back, everything was coming out. Her makeup was running down her cheeks and the whites of her eyes were starting to turn red. Closing the distance between us, I wrapped my arms around her tightly and ran a hand through her long hair, caressed her scalp.

I held her, not giving a damn that her tears were soaking my shirt. Rachel came the sliding glass door, she immediately took notice that her daughter was upset; but she smiled. It was a silent approval for me to be able to comfort Karina myself. "You've got such a big heart, Rina. Shay will be grateful to you for wanting to be there for her. As far as your return to the ring, that will be far from a failure. I'm pretty sure Brandi has big plans for you and I promise you, Adrian will not lay a single hand on you."

She shifted out of my arms to look at me fully. Her mascara had run black lines down her cheeks. The despair softened as she wiped away her tears and makeup with it. My hand hovered over her side. "You really can't promise that; but I appreciate you trying to protect me. No matter what happens down the road, I have to face this head on or I'm always going to be afraid to have feelings for someone else."

"You shouldn't be afraid to have emotions for someone. Those feelings could be a good thing, if you let them."

"You're right. I should be more optimistic, instead of dwelling in the past; when my future could possibly be standing right in front of me."

Those words were an accelerate to my heartbeat. The context of what she was saying was a basic confession of feelings for me, or at least that's how I viewed it. It wasn't something I was going to take lightly, nor was I going to push her for an explanation. "I should probably check on Shay." She said, giving me a smile as she turned away.

We stepped back into the house. The kitchen was empty of people; but when we turned to walk into the living room, Rachel and Henry were cuddled together on the couch watching a television show. "Where is Shay?" She asked.

"Upstairs, I believe…" Her mother answered, tiredly.

Without another word, she made her way to the spiral stairs. I took hold of her hand, stopping her from ascending. "I'm going to take off. I've got to prepare for this new match. I'll text you when I'm at the hotel, okay?" I told her. She stepped back down off the first step and stood before me.

"Thank you for coming here tonight." She replied, lacing her fingers through mine.

"You're welcome. I'll see you soon."

Her smile remained this time and it was perfect. Releasing my hand, I moved to walk towards the door. She continued to watch until I was fully outside. Once the door was closed, I let out the breath I had been holding. No matter how much I wanted to kiss her again, I had to play this slow. I didn't want to chase her away; because beyond all logic, she meant much more to me than I realized.

Karina

It was never easy for me to let him go; but this time, I had to. There was another person that required my attention. Hopefully she'd talk to me. I knew what it was like to loose someone you loved. The door to her new room was open and I could see her sitting on the edge of the bed looking down at the screen of her phone.

"Hey…" I said softly.

"Hey…" She answered, looking from the screen.

I cautiously made my way into the room and sat down beside her. My heart ached for her and the burning sensation in the corners of my eyes returned. "Do you want to talk? I'm available to listen." I offered, fumbling with my hands on my lap.

"I'm still just curious as to why you are so generous to me. You just met me."

"I told you before. You are blood, no matter how things happened. You are my sister and I'm going to do anything I can to help you move forward in life. I'm not going to lie...there will be rough patches; but I will be there for you."

I could see tears forming in her eyes, so I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned in, allowing me to comfort her the best way I could. "That guy you had here tonight seemed really nice. I could tell that he adores you."

"You think?"

"Absolutely, it was the same look you're step-dad gave your mom over dinner."

A smile tugged at me lips. This girl was a lot like me and not just in physical attributes either. Observant of other people and blind to one's self. There was much I'd love to show her and I wanted to give her the world. "Do you want to come with me to Chiago on Friday? You are welcome to watch the show from ringside." I asked, trying to talk about something a little different.

"I've never been on a plane before."

"Well then, I guess there is a first time for everything. Perhaps you could give me some ring gear ideas."

She eagerly agreed to the challenge. To be honest, I had no idea what kind of gear I wanted to wear. My gear from my days in WWE were no longer usable. I was lucky my boots were still in decent shape.

Giving her something to change into for sleep, I told her 'goodnight' and proceeded towards my own bedroom. My phone had been charging on my nightstand and when I picked it up, I had a text message waiting for me.

"_Back at the hotel, I got an early flight back to Winnipeg in the morning. I'll see you in Chicago." _

"_Thank you for letting me know. Have a safe flight in the morning."_

"_Thank you. I'll talk to you soon. Goodnight."_

"_Goodnight."_

Sitting my phone back down on the nightstand, I pushed the covers back. Thinking back to earlier on, I realized that my words may have been too much for Kenny to hear. There was no going back, they out in the open and now he knew my history with Adrian(PAC). However, there was a sense of relief that I no longer had to hide the past.

August 30th, 2019

It was now the day before All Out. Shay and I were walking through the airport. There had been a delay announced for our flight to Chicago. It didn't really matter as long as I got there before Check-In at our hotel closed. We came across a small cafe to sit down at. She ordered a medium iced caramel latte with a shot of espresso. That surprised me a little, considering that was my brother's favorite coffee beverage.

I ordered a mint chocolate iced coffee and an apple danish. We sat down at a small round table with our bags tucked neatly beside us. "Is there something wrong with me?" Shay asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"I haven't cried today. I just had to say goodbye to my mother a week ago."

"No, there is nothing wrong with you. There will be easier and harder ones. I still cry over Haden and he died five years ago; but I often don't anymore."

She took the first sip of her coffee, then took the straw and stirred the liquid a little more. Her long dark brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail with a few strains left to frame the sides of her face. It really did surprise me how much she looked like Haden and I, apparently we ended up with more of our father's genes than our mothers. "Is there anyone picking us up from the airport when we get there?" Shay asked, changing the subject.

"Nope, I got a rental car waiting for me."

"Okay, I thought maybe Kenny would be picking you up."

"No, he doesn't even know I'm coming into Chicago today."

There was a coy smile across her face that was almost in a teasing nature. It was nice to see her act normal around me. It had been a rough transition for her and we argued quite a bit at first. She claimed I was suffocating her, which thinking about it, I probably had been. As the days went by, she grew more curious about my life and the things I did for a living.

Sticking the last bite of my danish in my mouth, my phone lit up with an incoming video call from Hayley. Jayson, Landon and Hayley met Shay the second day she arrived at my home. Hayley had connected with her fairly quickly, which was no surprise. She was the sweetest person on the face of this earth.

"Hello, Hayley." I greeted, seeing her face on the screen of my phone.

"How's the travel so far?"

"There was a delay so we are sitting at the airport cafe at the moment."

I turned the phone so she could see Shay drinking her latte. She waved with a smile on her face. "It's going to be weird with you being in a completely different state as us." Hayley commented, frowning a little as she said it.

"I'm sure you will be just fine. We'll only be gone until Sunday night."

"I know; but we will be watching. You're going to kill it out there tomorrow night."

"I hope so. It feels different this time around."

Before Hayley could say anything else, Jayson snagged the phone from her. I giggled upon hearing her protest in the background. "Remember, you are Karina freaking Dawson and you are going to do an amazing job tomorrow night." He said, giving me a very poor pep talk. I laughed and agreed with him before saying goodbye. Our flight was now boarding.

Shay grabbed her bag and we were on our way to the gate. Giving the attendant our tickets, she waved us inside. I could tell that she was nervous, so I turned to link her arm with mine. "I promise, this will be a quick flight."

It was fun to watch her look out the window when we were finally in the air. The kid inside had come to the surface as she took pictures with her phone. I turned my attention to my own phone and the article that had popped up under my google search bar. 'Karina Dawson at All Out?' the headline read.

Of course, the person who wrote the article had no concrete evidence that I was appearing. It was just a rumor, though I was heavily wanted to be in the Casino Battle Royal by the fans according to the author. That information got me to smile. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to wrestle again.


	21. Confession

**A/N: A special thanks goes to BreaktheWalls for the wonderful review. Also, I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to read this story. I want to wish everyone a wonderful and safe holidays.**

***The lyrics in this chapter belong to Halsey and Wage War, I do not own them.***

**Chapter 21:**

**Confession**

**Karina**

Shay and I made it off the plane in a timely manner. Somehow it felt different being in a different city than Jacksonville. I was so used to the ocean breeze. The air was thick and musty here. Though, Shay didn't seem to mind. She was busy looking at everything around her. It was obvious that she never had traveled before and I was glad to be able to help her in seeing new things.

The rental car was parked in the lot near the end of the third row. I opened the trunk and we put our bags inside. She immediately went to the passenger side of the vehicle and opened the door. I slid behind the wheel and started the ignition.

I could see her dig around inside her purse and pull out her earbuds. It wasn't unusual for rental cars to have SiriusXM for music, so I figured that she would like to listen to some to ease some of the travel worries.

"Do you want to pick the music?" I asked, moving my hand towards the dash.

"Are you sure?" She answered quietly, sitting her buds down on her lap.

"Absolutely, I'll listen to whatever you want."

"Okay."

She fumbled with the buttons until she got what she was looking for. At first I didn't recognize the music currently playing. That was perfectly okay with me, I was learning new things about her. Eventually it did change to something I knew. 'Without Me' by Halsey was the name of the song and it was actually quite fitting considering my history.

After a few seconds, I could hear Shay hum. Soon it turned into full words and I could hear her voice for the first time. It shocked me; but at the same time it didn't. Perhaps talent of the voice came from our dad's side of things.

"Gave love 'bout a hundred tries

Just running from the demons in your mind

Then I took yours and made 'em mine

I didn't notice 'cause my love was blind." She sang.

"You're really good." I complimented.

"Thank you."

It didn't take long for me to join in and help with the singing of the song.

"Said I'd catch you if you fall

And if they laugh, then fuck 'em all

And then I got you off your knees

Put you right back on your feet

Just so you can take advantage of me."

Shay smiled, loving that our voices meshed so well. It was allI could do not to shed tears out of sheer happiness. Once the song was over, I moved to turn the volume down. "Hey, get into my bag and get my phone. I need to film a BTE clip for the show." I said, trying to keep my eyes on the road.

"Sure, do you want me to record it?"

"That would be great."

Shay opened the camera on my phone and angled it the best way she could. She gave me a silent cue to begin speaking. " Hello BTE fans and this is my first solo appearance on the show. As you can see, I am driving. Where to you might ask? Well, by the time this comes out you all know that I'm heading to the Sears Center in Chicago."

The butterflies in my stomach were trying to bash their way out. I've never been more nervous than I was right in that moment and that was saying something. " Tomorrow is the All Out Pay-per-view and on the Buy In is the Women's Casino Battle Royal. Twenty-one entrants and one winner. That winner goes on as one participant to challenge for the AEW Women's World Championship on the first episode of AEW programming on TNT."

That thought alone got me thinking. I had never been involved in something so important. I'm sure Shay could see the emotions written all over my face. She never said a word; but there was a smile on her face, which was all the comfort I needed.

"This is a big moment for me. Being out of the wrestling business for a little over three years, I often question whether or not I could make a comeback. Thankfully, I was urged to do this again by Matt, Nick, Kenny and Cody. Brandi has also been a voice of reason when I had my doubts."

We were stopped in traffic and I could finally face the camera. I smiled, "I look forward to showing you all what I'm capable of doing inside that ring. See you soon." I ended the segment with a wink.

Shay turned the camera off and placed my phone in the center console. My hands instinctively held onto the wheel tighter. "Are you okay?" She asked, trying her best to understand what was going on. She was so sweet to care enough to ask.

"Yeah, I think I'm just nervous. Thank you for doing that for me." I answered, pushing my foot back down on the gas pedal. The traffic was insane and I knew it was going to take awhile to make it to the hotel.

"You're welcome. I understand why you are nervous; but I think you will do great out there. I don't know much about wrestling; however, I'm willing to learn."

All I could do was smile. Shay had been a blessing in disguise. There was no doubt in my mind that I was meant to know her. I was meant to call her my sister.

**Kenny**

Exiting the elevator, I made my way to the hotel lobby. Matt and Nick had messaged me a little bit ago asking to film some things for BTE, which was perfectly fine. It would get my mind off of Karina. At least that was the hope, until I saw a woman with a similar hair color.

My heart started to pound and all could think of was her. Thankfully, Matt and Nick were waiting for me outside the building so I didn't have to go far.

"Hey man, are you alright?" Nick asked, genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine. Just have a lot on my mind." I answered honestly.

"Does that include Karina? Or is it just PAC?"

Sometimes I really hated that they knew me so well. Clearly, I must be freaking transparent or something. "It's both. I can't explain why, because it's not my secret to tell."

"We get it. We got footage from her a few minutes ago. Her first solo appearance for BTE. Do you want to see it before Nick starts editing? Matt asked, partially changing the subject.

"Yes."

Matt turned his phone in my direction so I could see the screen fully. The second her face was shown my lips curved into a smile. She was driving, which meant that someone else was filming from the passenger seat. My guess was Shay. She had been the one I told could accompany Karina.

When she thanked us for urging her to wrestle again, I wasn't the only one with a smile on their face anymore." I don't think we could have picked a better woman to be apart of 'The Elite'." Nick confessed aloud.

"I believe you are right." Matt agreed.

They didn't need to say anything else I already knew how they felt about her. Cody truly felt that she was a star in the making, not that she needed anymore star power. Her music already made her one. I didn't open my mouth to speak; instead, I shifted my head towards the hotel just as Shay walked to the main doors. Karina followed seconds later.

"Karina!" Nick shouted, slightly surprised to even see her.

She immediately looked in our direction. Shay also moved to walk cautiously behind her sister. Matt and Nick hadn't met Shay formally; but they knew of her and the circumstances behind her arrival. "Hey guys." She greeted warmly, moving to hug each one of us.

"This must be Shay." Matt stated, extending his hand out to her.

"I am." She answered, accepting the handshake.

While they continued to speak to Shay, I turned my attention to Karina. It was evident that she hadn't slept. There were purple bags under her eyes."Are you okay?" I asked, taking a couple steps closer to her.

"Yeah, I'm more than okay. For the first time in a long time I'm happy.

Hearing that made me smile. Shay moved away to stand closer to her sister. I knew they needed to check in with the front desk before it was too late. "I need to check in, will I see you before tomorrow?" She asked in a hopeful voice. How could I say no to that? I wasn't going to be able to.

"If you want, just text me when you want to hang out."

She agreed and entered the building, Shay trailing behind. When they were out of sight, Neither of them said a word; but I knew they wanted to. "Karina seemed really happy today." Matt commented. Nick agreed as we started to film for BTE.

**Karina**

After several minutes, the receptionist found my reservation. He handed me two key cards and a pamphlet of information about the room including the wifi password and such. Shay turned swiftly narrowing her eyes slightly. She was trying to hide the gesture. It definitely didn't go unnoticed by me at all. "What's wrong?" I asked, starting on towards the elevator.

"Nothing, I thought I saw someone I knew."

"Someone you don't like, I assume."

She nodded her head. There was something she wasn't telling me; but I didn't push for more. I wanted her to feel like she could come to me if there was a problem.

I unlocked the door to our room and she immediately dropped her bags and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Her actions were concerning considering that she seemed perfectly fine before the check-in happened.

I let out a sigh before pulling my bags inside. It was times like this did I miss Haden more. He was always the person that I would go for advice, if mom wasn't around. This time neither one were here with me.

Walking around the room, I memorized where things were within the space and opened my bag to change my clothes. Pulling out a pair of light colored distressed skinny jeans and a black scoop neck tank, just enough cleavage without it being too much, I got changed.

The bathroom door suddenly clicked back open and Shay stood in the doorway. There was a solemn expression on her face. "Can I ask you something?" She asked, moving to sit on the edge of the closet full sized bed.

"Of course, you can ask me anything."

"How can you stay so calm when you have feelings for Kenny and you guys aren't couple?"

"To be honest, I don't know if I'm ready for another relationship. I remember what happened in my last one and it just seems to put me on edge with the thought of a new one."

My words were making her think and it also made me think about what her question really was. My feelings for Kenny were growing and perhaps I had been too stand-offish about them, denying them for the sake of protecting myself. I've tried pushing him away countless times already and he continued to stick by me through everything. "I have feelings for someone and it drives me insane that I'm not with this person."

"Are you friends?"

"Yes, we speak almost everyday."

"I believe the day will come when feelings will be recepted, maybe that time isn't right yet."

She ran a hand through her hair before laying back on the bed. I blinked a couple times before moving to sit down next to her. Tears silently rolled down the side of her face. "I don't think it will ever be the right time, Karina. There is a problem and it was always a problem for dad when he was around."

"Shay, who fucking cares what dad thought of anything. He was not there for either of us, so why should it matter what he thought?"

"I wanted to make him proud by being the perfect daughter and all I ever did was disappoint."

"That makes two of us. I always felt like I was a disappointment because he was never around. Sure, Henry filled some of the void; but I always knew that he wasn't my biological dad. That part of me remained missing."

Curling her legs up against her chest, she sobbed into her knees. I shifted my body until I was lying next to her. Wrapping her up into my arms, I let her cry as much as she wanted to. "The problem is that I think I'm gay. It's always been women that I feel attracted to…" She confessed as I pulled her in tighter.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with that either. Sexual orientation does not define who you are as a person. You make who you are."

"Thank you."

She pushed herself out of my arms and sat up, wiping her eyes away from tears. I sat up, tucking a chunk of her hair behind her ear. "Chin up, just be you and that will never be the wrong choice."

"Maybe you should tell him exactly how you are feeling. I'm pretty sure it's the right time for you." She suggested, bringing a smile back to her face.

"Oh, I don't know about that. Tomorrow is a big day for all of us and I should probably talk to them about what's going on for the show. Will you be okay by yourself for a while?"

"I'll be fine. I'm probably going to get something to eat."

Standing up from the bed, I walked across the room to get into my handbag. Pulling out a small bundle of cash, I handed it to her. Being a normal teenager, she grinned ear to ear upon seeing the money. Shaking my head with a laugh, I closed the bag and swung it up onto my shoulder. "Don't spend it all at once, Shay." I stated, leaving the room.

"Yes mom."

I smiled and then left the room. Pulling my phone out of the back pocket of my jeans, I proceeded to type a quick text message to Kenny. _**"I'm available to hang out."** _and hit the send button.

Walking down the hallway towards the elevator, I waited for a reply. Shay's words rung loud inside my head. Maybe she was right about the timing. Perhaps it was a good time to speak the truth about my growing feelings.

My phone vibrated against the skin of my palm. Standing inside the elevator, I opened the message. **_"Okay, where do you want to meet?"_** he asked.

**_"It doesn't matter to me. I'm wandering the hotel at the moment."_**

**_"Room 726."_**

Was that where he was? I wondered if Nick and Matt were with him as well. Pushing the number seven on the keypad inside the elevator, it took me to the seventh floor. After a few seconds, the piece of equipment stopped moving and I was able to get out. Another minute or two passed by and I finally stood outside the door of 726.

Rubbing my palms against the sides of my jeans, I swallowed the lump in my throat and knocked on the door. Hearing a soft rustling behind the door, my stomach clenched, tightening into a large knot. I was beginning to wonder if it was even a good idea to see him.

The door opened and Kenny stood in the doorway. He was dressed in a pair of black workout shorts and a plain light gray t-shirt. His hair was wet, water droplets rolled down the side of his neck. My mouth instantly went dry and my words evaporated.

"Come on in." He greeted, stepping aside to let me pass by.

His room wasn't much different than mine, except he had a view of the city and there was only one bed instead of two; but the furnishings were the same. "How come you didn't tell me that you were coming into Chicago today?" He asked, sitting down on the sofabed.

"Honestly, I didn't want to bother you with it. You've got enough going on right now."

"Karina, I've told you that you aren't a bother to me no matter what you think. It would have been nice to know you were coming. We could have coordinated better."

He wasn't wrong. It probably would have been a lot easier if I had just told him that I was coming. "You're right. It would have been easier; but I wanted to spend time with Shay. She's been struggling to adjust to a new lifestyle and I figured taking her with me was for the best."

"Fair enough. How is she doing?"

I was smiling on the inside. It was beyond thoughtful of him to even ask about her. Her being my sister was just as new to him as it was to me. "She's doing okay. We've had some rough spots here and there. Otherwise, it's been nice. She's quite insightful for a seventeen year old."

"She's probably been through a lot in her short years of life. She's like you in that way."

Sitting down on the edge of the coffee table, my hair fell over my shoulders. The indigo strains were dull and less vibrant compared to my previous color. It really wasn't something I was taking a liking to as I thought I would. "Hopefully she doesn't follow in my relationship footsteps. I don't want her to go through that pain. No one deserves it, especially not someone who still has their whole life ahead of them."

"Rina, you didn't deserve it either. The good news is that you are a part of 'The Elite' and there will always be someone watching out for you."

**Kenny**

I could see the inner turmoil in her eyes. She was conflicted about something. Leaning forward, I took her hands into my own and then pulled her to sit next to me on the sofabed. It was nice having her there. There was a part of me that wondered what it would be like to have an actual relationship with her and the scared part of me just wanted to let things play out as they were already. "I'm worried about tomorrow." She said softly, pulling her hands back towards her lap.

"Your match or Adrian?" I asked, even though I was pretty sure I knew what the answer would be.

"Both. Your match with him, is this going to continue forward as a feud?"

"I think so, at least until Jon is back to being healthy again. Don't worry about him, I can handle him. You just focus on your match and the things to follow."

She raised a questioning eyebrow at me. It was like she had no idea what I was talking about, so I reached for the smaller bag on the floor and pulled out a tight bundle of papers. It was the show breakdown in fine detail. "Here, this is everything that is going to happen tomorrow night."

She hesitantly took the bundle and started to skim the material. I hoped that she'd be okay with what Brandi and Cody had come up with for her. It was her first real push as a wrestler and I couldn't be more proud of how far she'd come since the first day of training with her. "This is insane. I really didn't expect this kind of exposure already." She admitted, handing the papers back to me.

"They believe in you. We all do, which is why Cody suggested you be a part of 'The Elite'. We all knew that you were something special right from the very beginning."

"Thank you, you have no idea how much you guy's confidence in me means…"

There was no one in the world like her and her talent was unbridled. There was going to be no stopping her once the fans got a taste of what she was capable of in the ring. "I told you earlier...for the first time in a long time that I was happy...I have you to thank for that. You have no idea just how happy you truly make me."

"I'm glad that I could help you. There is one promise that I can make and keep."

"What's that?"

"I'm not going anywhere. You came into my life for a reason and perhaps someday we will figure out why."

She smiled and reached over to take my hand into her own. Her skin was soft as I brushed my thumb across her knuckles. "I think I already know why..." She whispered; but loud enough for me to hear. I held off from saying anything, hoping that she'd go further into why she believed she knew why we came together in each other's lives.

Her mouth opened again; but this time it was her singing voice that came through instead of her speaking one.

"Pull me close I feel the water reach around my neck

Don't let go just show me that there's better days ahead

Make me see how I'm only half the person I should be

Pull me close set me free from this gravity."

I could understand those words clear as day. Depression and anxiety was like a constant weight on your chest. I recognized the song and though I couldn't relate to it, I knew that she could. "You've given me a reason to smile again. You've shown me that I'm a better person than I saw myself and you've lifted this heavy weight off my chest. I'll be forever grateful for that."

"All of those things were already there. You just needed someone to help bring it out. I'm glad that I got to be that person for you."

She leaned in to place her lips gently on my cheek. Out of instinct, I reached up to cup the side of her face and capture her lips with my own. The feeling of her kiss was intoxicating and addicting. I could feel her fingers tangle their way through my wet hair. Every single movement of her lips against mine got my mind reeling with thoughts. Was Matt and Nick right all along and she was the right person for me?

Separating was the hard part. She slowly opened her eyes to meet mine. She was beautiful in every sense of the word and not in a supermodel way either. "I'm going to head back and spend some time with Shay. What time should I be at the arena tomorrow?" She asked, standing up from the sofabed.

"I'd say around ten, that way you can warm up properly. I'm pretty sure Cody wants to speak to you before the event anyway."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Have a good night, Rina."

"You as well."

She smiled one more time before leaving the room. The urge to pull her back inside was overwhelming. Tomorrow was going to be a crazy day; but at the same time, I knew it was going to be hard for her to be in the same building as Adrian. It didn't matter how much of a front she put up, the past still bothered her.

Pulling out my phone, I opened up the new message screen and proceeded to type. **_"Can we hang out again after the show tomorrow? Also, I think I miss the aquamarine hair."_ **I sent the message to Karina before turning in for the night.


	22. Going All Out

**A/N: A big thanks goes to BreakTheWalls and Leasha Ambrose for the wonderful reviews. Also a thanks goes to everyone who is continuing to read this. We are down to the final chapter; but the story doesn't completely end there. A sequel is in the works and will follow directly right after this one. I hope you all continue to follow me on this journey in telling this story.**

**Chapter 22:**

**Going All Out**

**Karina**

Today was the day. Today was All Out and I was nothing but a bundle of nerves. After seeing Kenny last night, I thought I would feel better about the things that were going to happen. As it turned out, it didn't help at all. I was still worried about Adrian and rightfully so. Upon waking this morning, there had been a message from him waiting for my eyes.**_ "I will see you soon…"_** was all it said; but it was enough to get my stomach twisted into a knot.

I closed my eyes for a moment, pushing the negative thoughts to the back of my mind. There was far too much happiness to let a single person ruin it. Shay ran her fingers through my newly dyed hair. Kenny wasn't the only one who had missed the aquamarine hair. It was my trademark and I was foolish to think that it would change.

"Are you ready?" She asked softly, coming to sit down next to me on the edge of the bed I slept in.

"I believe I am." I answered, turning my head to meet her gaze. She smiled, her glossy lips shimmered under the lighting of the room.

We stood up together and left the room together, pulling my bag of ring gear behind me. It didn't take long for me to drive to the Sears Center. There was so much going on inside the building. Stage workers were quickly putting things into place, testing the sound system and putting the finishing touches on the ring.

Shay was in awe with everything she was seeing. She had fully admitted that she really didn't know much about wrestling and at this point, I believe she was curious now. There weren't too many talents backstage that I could introduce her to, though it was still fairly early in the day. It was almost ten in the morning and I was searching for Cody.

"Karina!" Brandi shouted from the other side of the hall.

"That is the Chief Brand Officer, she's also Cody's wife." I whispered to Shay before approaching the woman addressing me.

Brandi's long hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. She was dressed in comfy yoga pants and a bright pink tank. Clearly she had just come from a workout when she had spotted me. "What's up?" I asked, standing close to my sister in the process.

"I wanted to formally meet the sister I've heard about."

"Right! This is Shay."

"It's nice to finally meet you."

She extended her hand out to Shay, in which she accepted fairly quickly. There was a smile on her face. I honestly expected her to be shy when meeting new people; but she was anything but that. They started to talk about little things. Witnessing her laugh, my heart started to flutter.

Cody turned the corner from the other side of the hallway. His eyes caught mine almost immediately. There was a happiness about him that I hadn't seen before. Of course, there was a perfectly good reason to be happy. 'All Out' was going to be another step forward in the wrestling profession and the fans were in for a real treat.

"Kenny said you wanted to speak to me."

"Yeah, I just wanted to make sure that you are okay with the storyline."

"It's great, I just didn't expect this much screen time so soon."

He chuckled lightheartedly. He shook his head and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You are perfect for the role and we have every confidence that you will knock it out of the ballpark."

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

Brandi moved to stand next to her husband as Shay closed the distance between us. This was a big day for not only me; but for all the athletes on the roster, including Kenny, who I'm sure was busy getting prepared for his match against PAC.

Telling them that I'd see them later, we walked away and entered my own locker-room. It was quiet and the silence only got me thinking about what was to come. "Are you sure that your ready for this?" Shay asked, sitting down on the edge of the nearest chair.

"Yes, I've been ready."

**Kenny**

All the morning meetings kept me busy clear up until it was time to film a pre-tapped segment that would be used to hype a pending feud moving forward in the women's division. That was the first time I'd seen Karina all day. The first thing I noticed was her hair color change. It brought a smile to my face, kind of reminded me of the first time I'd ever laid eyes on her.

After the segment was done, I had to leave and take my place in production. It was time for the 'Buy In' to take place and the fans were starting to get loud. I could hear Excalibur talk about the Women's Casino Battle Royal. Goldenboy made a notion of an incident that had taken place earlier in the day, which was the pre-tapped segment we had shot earlier on.

The video was played and shown to the world. Karina was walking backstage alone sipping from a bottle of water until it was smacked out of her hand by Nyla Rose."I really hope you aren't here to enter the battle royal." She said, staring Karina up and down.

"And if I was?"

"You won't last five minutes." Another voice entered the fray. A voice I knew she cringed inside upon hearing.

PAC approached, looked Karina up and down before sneering at her. Nyla held a coy smile upon her face."Five minutes huh? I beg to differ." Rina replied, standing her ground.

"Just because you a member of the 'Elite' it doesn't make you immune to pain that inevitably will come your way in that ring." Nyla said, standing inches away from her.

"Is that a threat, because it sounds more like jealousy to me."

It didn't take long for things to get out of hand. The two women immediately went after each other. PAC simply laughed until I involved myself into the equation. Wrapping my arms around Karina waist, I pulled her back towards me and away from Nyla.

Her hair was a mess and the intensity in her eyes spoke volumes and if I was honest with myself, it was incredibly attractive.

Once the video package was over, Justin Roberts took over with announcing duties. He explained the rules of the match to the crowd and the show was finally underway. The women that drew the Clubs Suit from the deck of cards started to make their way down to the ring, which included Nyla Rose, Leva Bates, Priscilla Kelly, Shalanda Royal and Faby Apache.

Nyla proved in quick fashion just how dominant she really was in the women's division. In a matter of minutes she had eliminated the four participants in the same suit. The crowd was hot for the match as they counted down the seconds left before the next suit would make their entrance. It was the diamonds, which included Dr. Britt Baker, Shazza McKenzie, Big Swole, Penleople Ford and Sadie Gibbs.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Karina approach the gorilla position. Her hair was down in long ringlets down her back. She bounced from side to side, warming up her muscles a little more. Her eyes connected with mine for a moment before I returned to the monitor in front of me.

At this point, the spades had made their way to the ring. Tenille Dashwood, Ivelisse, Brandi Rhodes, Bea Priestley and Awesome Kong were the next participants. Nyla was racking up the eliminations along with Britt, who was now seeing red at the sight of Bea Priestley. She was no longer concentrated on the match. The only thing she wanted was revenge.

Shifting my eyes away from the screen again, I could see Karina was standing alone now that the hearts were making their way to the ring. It looked like she could use some encouragement from anyone. There nerves were clearly written on her face. "Karina, you are up in five." Cody announced.

She walked closer to the stairs that would lead her to the stage. Her long silver coat almost dragged on the ground as she stopped momentarily next to me. Discreetly, I reached for her hand and gave it a tight squeeze. She turned her head in my direction, curling her fingers around my palm.

"And the woman who drew the joker…" Justin announced.

'Finally Free' started to play, getting the crowd up from their seats. Our hands separated as she moved to walk up the stairs to step out onto the stage. Once she appeared, the crowd started to scream. Nyla stopped mid-punch to stare up at her. "From Jacksonville, Florida...Elite member...Karina Dawson!"

She stripped herself of the long coat and revealed her well kept secret ring gear. A large mix of lace and vinyl of a silvery color. The top was a halter, tying neatly behind her neck. There was also a small hole right above where cleavage would be normally. Her stomach was bare to the world, revealing tattoos that I hadn't seen before on her right side and right below her hip bone on the left side.

Small shorts clung to her bottom half, giving the audience quite the visual of her assets. She leaned over the barricade to hug Shay, who was standing front row. Nyla's eyes never left Karina's as she slid into the ring standing face to face with her new found enemy. 'Rina' chants erupted within the Sears Center and it only seemed to infuriate the Native Beast more.

She swung wildly and Karina ducked under and rolled into the ropes, bouncing off them to give her more momentum to strike back. Wrapping an arm around Nyla's neck, she planted her with a DDT. Narrowing her eyes, she focused on the other competitors surrounding her from all sides.

Bea attempted to clothesline her over the top rope. Karina counted with her legs wrapping around her neck, pulling down her arm in the process. It was a modified triangle, a submission. Britt came from behind and eliminated Bea, gaining a small measure of revenge. Karina rolled back into the ring and stood back face to face with Nyla, who had gotten back to her feet.

Bea got back up onto the apron and pulled at Britt's arm, making it easier for Nyla to eliminate her. Britt was devastated at the loss and immediately chased down her adversary. Karina was distracted by the outside fight and it cost her. Nyla rushed in from behind and clubbed her in the back of the neck, sending over the top rope to the floor. The winner was Nyla Rose and she was now one of the participants for the Women's World Championship.

"I told you what would happen if you got in here." Nyla taunted, as Karina got back to her feet.

**Karina**

I slowly made my way back to the back. The disappointment was clear as day on my face. Kenny was there waiting for me with a smile upon his face. I wanted to smile back; but I just couldn't. My performance out there was not what I had hoped it would be. It was far too short to really show the world what I was capable of.

"I'm sorry that we had to cut the match a little shorter. I know you wanted to show the world what you could do." He said, taking a step closer to me.

"I did; but I get why it was cut short. I think most of us were having fun out there. It got a little carried away." I answered, stepping out around him to make my way back to my locker-room.

My heart clenched walking away from him like I did. Shay was still out in the audience watching the show, so I was alone in the room. I tossed my coat on top of my travel bag and pulled out a change of clothes. The next part of my night was the section I was least looking forward to.

I dressed in a pair of distressed black jeans, matching them with black suede boots that reached to my thigh. The top I chose was a white mesh crop that covered over my black bralette. Tonight was supposed to be special and I felt like I had let the fans down in some way. I knew that the time restraints were out of my control; but at the same time, there was so much I needed to prove.

"Karina…" Britt's voice entered the room.

"What's up?" I asked, trying to act like nothing was bothering me.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of. You did a fantastic job out despite the time restraint. I can't wait to share the ring with you again."

Britt genuinely seemed to care about how I was feeling at that moment and I walked slowly to where she was standing. I extended my hand out to her, hoping she'd accept the gesture. She smiled and did just that. "Thank you." I said, letting go of her hand turning to leave the room.

The show had continued on despite my absence from the production area. Brandi was in the middle of the hallway waving me to come closer. Sprinting towards her, I could see what was going on and why she was frantic. Kenny's match had begun already and my next role was to take place in a few minutes.

"Where were you?" Brandi asked, placing a hand on my bare arm.

"I needed a moment to recollect my thoughts."

"Understandable, are you sure that you want to do this?"

"I have to or I'm never going to be able to move forward. I need to face this head on."

She simply nodded her head and allowed me to continue on. Kenny was battling PAC in the middle of the ring. It seemed as though he was getting the upper hand on the British Native and the man who had sent me spiralling into a sea of depression for far too long. The fact that they both had speed inside that ring made them almost equal and it was back and forth for most of what I had seen on the screens.

Nyla came through the crowd and picked up a steel chair, slamming it closed. Kenny argued with her, not understanding why she was even out there. He took his eyes off his opponent. I rushed up the stairs and ran down to the ring, kicking the chair out of Nyla's hands. We exchanges hands until she slammed me back first into the apron.

"Mind your own business." Nyla yelled, as she grabbed me by the hair, pulling me to my feet.

She held my arms behind my back tightly, forcing me to watch as PAC locked in the 'Brutalizer' submission on Kenny. He tried to fight it, refusing to submit to the hold. I screamed out for him to stay awake, for him to continue the fight. Nyla was laughing behind me as I struggled to get free; but it was too late.

Kenny had passed out and the referee called for the bell to end the match. PAC had his hand raised in victory and I sneered at the image. Nyla backed off and retreated back through the crowd, the same way she had come in the first place.

"Are you okay?" I asked, seeing Kenny's eyes open.

"No…"

I knew he was upset with the match. Once again, there was a time restraint. He slid under the ropes and touched down on the floor. I held onto him, knowing that he wasn't fully awake yet. We slowly made our way back to the backstage area. There was a look of concern on Shay's face as we passed her.

The trainer wanted to take a look at Kenny before he did anything else. I sat down in the chair next to the table-bed, watching and listening to what they were saying to each other. I couldn't help but feel like PAC enjoyed everything he did tonight a little too much. Perhaps, it was a message directed at me.

"I'm going to have you step outside, okay." The trainer told me.

I did as he asked and I stood outside the door, waiting. There was so many things going through my head. Was he truly okay? Would I really be able to live up to Cody's expectations? Of course, Shay's personal favorite, would my feelings for Kenny ever be accepted? Even with all those unanswered questions, I still felt happy underneath all the worry for his well being.

The trainer opened the door and welcomed me back inside as he left the area, leaving us alone. Kenny was sitting up with an ice bag propped on the back of his neck and shoulders. I returned to sit down in the chair beside him. "Boy, I really fucked up tonight." He commented.

"What do you mean? The match was perfect. I'm always in awe watching you."

"I underestimated how far he would take things on a personal level."

"Did he say something to you?"

Reaching behind his head to take ahold of the ice bag, he moved it to rest on his lap. I curled my bottom lip in under the top one, waiting for an answer to my question. For him to be this discouraged, Adrian had to of said something to him during the match. "It doesn't matter. What matters is right in this room."

I froze, understanding what he meant by that statement. There was no other person or object in the room other than me. Standing up, I took the ice bag in my hand and placed it back onto the back of his neck. He took my free hand into his own, rubbing the pad of his thumb across the sensitive skin of my knuckles. "I think this is as good of a time as any to admit something."

"Admit what?"

"I care...far too much to let whatever this is between us go away. I don't want him to ruin anything, because you are the reason I've been able to move forward and smile again."

He slid down from the edge of the table-bed and stood before me, the ice bag falling to the floor behind him. The words were out of my mouth now and there was no going back. It was in the open. It was up to him to decide where we go from here. "Tell me, before I answer that, who was your song 'Alive' written about?"

"I think you already know; but if you want to hear it straight from my mouth...it was you."

His lips were on mine in a split second. His fingers tangled themselves in my hair as I rested a hand on his bare chest. My heart was racing and all I could do was enjoy the moment for however long it lasted. I had forgotten all the bad things that had happened earlier on and solely focused on him and only him.

Drowning in the sensations, it hadn't dawned on us that we had company until a voice was heard. "Good lord, get a room." Nick said, covering his face with his hand. We separated immediately and a blush appeared on my cheeks.

"Are you done?" Nick asked, peeking through his fingers.

"Yes." I quietly answered, shying away back towards the chair I had been sitting in earlier.

"What are you doing in here? Don't you have a match coming up?" Kenny answer, a little irritated by the interruption.

Matt, Cody and Adam all peeked around the corner of the open doorway. The Elite was all in one place. Kenny smiled, realizing that they all came to check in on him. When it came right down to it, they were all a family. Standing up, I moved to weave through them in attempts to leave. My hand was caught by Kenny. "Where do you think you're going? You are a part of The Elite too remember." Matt teased.

"To answer your earlier statement...he isn't going to ruin anything. I promised you that I wasn't going anywhere and I meant that. Let's see where this goes."

I smiled, allowing him to pull me back into his arms. He kissed the top of my head lovingly before Matt made a comment that got the group laughing. "It's about time."


End file.
